Darkness
by Naoko Kensaku
Summary: For the language... What happens when the YYH, HXH and GS members go to Hogwarts?
1. Day One

Disclaimer: I don;t own anyone here except Natalie, Carlos, Sukina and myself. The others all belong to someone else. This is from my Writing.com account, so enjoy! ;p It's told from a journal's point of view, so don't say I didn't warn you!  
  
It had been several years since I last stepped into the Interpol building. I was in the Interpol Youth Branch, Special Division. I was in the SD, as we called it, because of my Physic Powers. Physic in this sense, was used with broad strokes, as each of us had a different power. Some of them had telepathy and other forms of 'tele' powers. I too, had limited telepathy, but access was blocked and I could only communicate with my sister in Japan over a 3.5km radius. Don't ask me why, it's just the way the powers work.   
  
And there's those who have 'Spi-Physic' Powers. These are those who would normally be asked to work for the GS or GhostSweepers Div. of the Youth Branch. A lot of them took up the offer, but not many were posted outside Japan. Japan was the only country that recognised GS and besides, most of the other countries had the Magic Ministry. Those that didn't, like mine, had a loosely-regulated body that ounished whoever who stepped out of line very seriously. They couldn't afford getting blacklisted by the Government. Because of the supersition of my people, the enforcement was fierce, although the rules were loose.   
  
I was among the lucky ones who was discovered by the Interpol section before the DarkLights, as we called them. They were the Light of Knowledge shining down on Darkness of Ignorance. We said that they were Darkness themselves. :p Hey, I was young!  
  
In any case, I was trained under one of the other GS in Japan (I can't disclose her name) and I was lucky to find myself classified as a Multi. This meant that I had multiple kinds of powers, although in differing amounts. I stopped working for the Interpol about five years ago, more because of studies than anything else. I'm 18 now, and Natalie, the new young Head of the Eastern Branch, thought that I was now mature enough to stand on my own two feet. She wanted me back, but I wouldn't go.   
  
I do have one teensy weenie prob though. I could never say no if they told me to give them a chance. Gods, I wished I'd never listen to her!   
  
Part Two  
  
I stood in front of a tall, nondescript building done all in white. A cycnical smile touched my lips. Nothing much had changed. The most ironic part of this was the fact that the building not only housed the Interpol's South-Asian Division branch, but also the very same people who would have objected to the formation of the DarkLight Association. The security guards took notice of my definately-unIslamic clothing and tried to stop me from entering.   
  
Talking with them was no use, and since I was already in the lobby, there was not much chance that anyone who saw me would pay much attention and call the police. I simply stuck out one of my legs and hit the first security guard in the stomach and at the same time, caught the other in the back of his neck. They were both down and gasping for air. Not stopping, I moved to where the phone was and quickly dialled Natalie's number.   
  
"Santiango's office, how may I help you?" a familiar voice said.  
  
"Carlos, please tell Nat that she'd better send someone down here before I take out the whole security force in this building.   
  
"Karen? Okay, gimmie a moment," the man said. I grinned wolfishly, for I thought I heard the sigh that used to mean, 'She's done it again,' when I was much younger and fond of getting into trouble.   
  
********  
  
A few minutes later, I found myself in front of a blonde, blue-eyed girl who was not much younger than myself. The difference was that she looked younger due to surgery. That was not because she was vain, but because of her recons jobs. She had decided to work as a young prosititute in the ghettos of New York. Surprisingly, she had received a lot of information.  
  
"What the hell was that about?" she asked me testily.   
  
I looked at her straight in the eye and gave her one of my patented 'you-helped-trained-me-therefore-you-should-know-me" look. She sighed heavily and I could see the wrinkles around her eyes.   
  
"Have you heard of the Mikodo family?" she then asked me.  
  
"They're among the best Shikigami families with the exception of the current Shikigami holder, Rokudou Meiko from the Rokudo family. Why?" I asked. I knew Rokudo well, although I didn't like anyone from the Mikodo family. Nat must not have known this, as she was still in the ghetto when I was training in Japan.   
  
"The Mikodo family, with the exception of three of the youngest grandchildren, were found dead three weeks ago. Their Shikigamis was not found, and there were no signs that they had gone Renegade," Nat told me, watching my reaction carefully.   
  
I was curious by the fact that someone had managed to kill most of the Mikodo family, although they were small in number and my mind quickly began to function. "How were they killed?" I asked.   
  
"Haven't you guessed?" Nat asked me, mildly surprised.   
  
"The Shikigamis would only transfer themselves to another family under several conditions. None of them would include killing their masters. I need to know how they were killed," I told Nat but declined to elaborate.   
  
"They were stabbed with some kind of knives, but it is a very different make from any knife we know, either Spi or Physical," she said.   
  
"The other family must've had Banshees and Sabretooths. You'd need Banshees to lure the family to a state of deep unconsciousness that their Shikigamis can't be used, and then the Sabretooths must've finished them off. To prevent the Shikigamis from escaping, there must've been some sort of Soul CRystal nearby," I told her.   
  
"I'm surprised that you can still remember that after all those years," a familiar voice said  
  
Part Three  
  
I wished I had never met him in the first place. He would have been the only one who would know what was going on in both the REal World and the Spirit World.   
  
"Koenma," I said cordially.   
  
"Hello Naoko. We have a new assignment for you, if you don't mind taking it," he said.   
  
"Like I.... what the hell???!!!" I exclaimed as I took in the handsome young man standing in front of me when I turned to see him behind me.   
  
He grinned at me, even though he still had that pacifier in his mouth. I knew why he had that. It was the only thing he could keep with him that would take a little of his 'chi' everyday until the power was enough to seal a whole Dimensional away. The thing was, I had never seen him as an adult, only in his child form in Reikai, Japan's Spirit World.   
  
"I'm sure you would have heard that the Dimensional Pathway between Makai and Ninjenkai a few years ago, right?" he asked me.  
  
"Sure," I said, "There should be no threat from here."  
  
"Not from the East," Koenma told me. "From the West," he said.   
  
"The only threat is Voldemort, and he's dead, or close to it," I said, but a dreadful suspicion entered my mind.   
  
Koenma did not have to continue. I knew from the look on his face that somehow or other, Voldemmort had regained his form. "Have you told the Western Ministries of Magic yet?" I asked him. Natalie had left the room as soon as Koenma came in. There were still some things she was not quiteready to accept yet.   
  
"Most of them. The only problem is the British Ministry of Magic. Cornelius Fudge, their Minister, refused to believe in anything I said, although Professor Dumbledore did," Koenma said. I nodded. There had been rumours from some of my old friends about Cornelius' stubborness.  
  
"I'll get one of my friends to get me more information. She's a new teacher at Hogwarts," I told him.  
  
"I don't you didn't want to involve yourself in this," Koenma asid in an amused tone.   
  
"I don't, but I can't take the chance. If Voldemort finds out about my sister..." I didn't continue, but rather, left the building. I knew now who was responsible for the killing ofn the Mikodo. There was only one person in the East who served Voldemort so faithfully. 


	2. Day Two

"What the hell do you mean he's back?" the voice of a young Caucasian woman could be heard, I swear, even from my other ear, which meant that she could be heard from the other side of the world.   
  
"I mean exactly that, Jenny. Old Moldy's back, at least according to Koenma. I took the time to talk to Shiyou Ruyuki last night after I got back, and she concurred. According to her, Reina, their Goddess of Death, said that she could no longer feel his spirit near her. I want you to activate Plan Ascension. We need to have all operatives alert and on standby," I told her.  
  
"Am I right in presuming that this order comes from Naoko the Jiatian Eastern Earth Rep?" Jenny asked.   
  
"Yes. Nat and the other members don't need to know just yet," I told her. Jenny was not really a member of the Interpol, not officially anyway.  
  
"Will get back on status tomorrow. Shoutmail.com?" she asked.  
  
"No. Priestess@stories.com. Shoutmail shut down last year, I've no time yet to update the others. Su said to keep all the others updated as well, and she says that Gaia should visit her soon," I told her.  
  
"Is anything wrong with Antsy?" she referred to Gaia's godson.  
  
"Not really. The annual Parents visiting day is coming soon. I think Antsy wants her to visit," I told her.  
  
I could just about hear the nod on her side. I knew that they all missed their children, but we could not afford to take any chances with their lives.   
  
"Okay," I said to myself. "Next up is Sapplefuss!"   
  
Part Two  
  
"WHAT????" Sapplefuss fairly shouted into my ear when I told her what I had in mind.  
  
"Look, I need informtaion on what is going on in England, and I don't have any contacts in Hogwarts, well," I thought for a moment, "Not yet anyway."   
  
"Why do you want me to go there for?" she asked me, suspicion in her voice.  
  
"You were the one who told me that she was taking up a new job at Hogwarts. Besides, I need someone who knows what she's doing and get in contact with me when something develops at Hogwarts. Moldie's greatest enemy is there and someone needs to keep an eye on Harry before..."  
  
"Dumbledore's already there to look after Harry, you dolt! Why do you want me to go to Hogwarts?" Sapplefuss said.   
  
"I need new sources of information, Sapplefuss..." I thought to myself that it was a funny name, "And besides, didn't YOU tell me that you wanted to apply for that Vortex Summons Professor Job?" I asked her.   
  
"Yeah... Well...."  
  
"Look, I promise you I'll make it worth your time..."  
  
"How?" 


	3. Day Three

By now, I guess, I seem to be moving a little too fast. I'll try and clear this up. The days are merely as numbers in this journal. The events takes place over a period of time, so I'll mention when it's been three days, two days, etc. Day One, Part Two, etc means that the events took place in the space (no pun intended) of a single day. So, I hope you enjoy reading this! :) Please, rate and review as well. The button is at the bottom, and it's only a small click. I would really like to hear from you about my writing! IN FACT, I PREFER REVIEWS RATHER THAN RATINGS, SO PLEASE R&R!!! Okay, I'll shut up now. :)  
  
PS: THANKS MARAUDERBABE FOR THE PW IDEA!  
  
****  
  
"You know," she said, after I had told her what I was willing to offer, "That doesn't sound bad at all. But how do I know you'll keep your end of the bargain?" she asked.   
  
I sighed, making sure that she could hear me. "Look, when I make promises, I keep them, your brother nonwithstanding. I've gotten the details from Dumbledore, and there's a high chance you can get the job. None of the other candidates has even come close to the level of expertise you have. Besides, I know that you want the job. I'm just giving you a little extra incentive," I told her.   
  
I could practically hear her thinking from my side. She was making this 'hmmm...' noises that meant that she had made up her mind, but she was going to keep me in suspense for a little longer. I decided that since I was paying for the phone bill, I might as well get her to move herself faster.   
  
"Look, Sapplefuss. I know you want to go and you've already made your mind up to go. I'll pay for your airfare and that mag subscription for one year. What more can you ask?" I was telling her when something hit my mind. I knew that if anything would get ehr to agree quickly, it was that!  
  
"How about that four issues of Playwitch that you missed? You know, the one with You-know-who in it?" I was grinning maliciously.   
  
"I don't think you'd be able to get those issues. How did you know anyway?" she asked me in a deceptively mild tone.   
  
"I can't tell you or I'll get fired. Besides, I was looking for something in Google! and I came across your post asking for those issues," I explained.   
  
"How are you going to give me 0those mags without anyone noticing?" she aske me.   
  
"So you'll go?" I said.   
  
"When you give me those mags," she said flatly.   
  
"Not before," I said.   
  
Well, we argued like that for about a few minutes before she grudgingly agreed. ^_^ Then I proceeded to give her details of how and when she was going to get there. Looking at the time, I realized that it was alread 3am in the morning and I might as well get some sleep if I was going to get those mags. This was going to be one loooong week.   
  
Part Two  
  
The sweltering heat of Petaling Street really got to me as I trampled around, looking for a certain shop. There was no guarantee that it was still here. It had been five years since I last visited this shop, even though I had passed here quite often when I was in a high school in this area.   
  
"Magical Items are found where one is least likely to find it. They must be out in the open," I remember hearing one of my teachers saying when he took me here for the first time to find the shop of the man.   
  
"Woi, Cik adik, cari ubat pengasih ke?" a man said rudely to me. He was asking whether I was looking for a love potion.   
  
"Kalau ye pun, siapa nak buat dengan awak?!" I said to him in my worst fishmarket's wife voice.   
  
"Janganla macam itu," he asked me not to be so haughty, before inviting me to see a few of his exotic stuff he kept in his shop. I followed him in.  
  
"So," he said in a normal voice once we were away from the crowd, "What does the Shikigami MIstress wants?" he said.  
  
"I need four, specific issues of Playwitch. I know you keep at least five copies of each issue, so you can perfectly spare me one each," I said to him in a brusque manner.  
  
"Four? Is the cover model for all of them the same?" he asked me. I nodded.  
  
"I think I know who you mean. He's one of the most handsome men in the wizarding world, although JK Rowling cast him as an uglie. Personally," he said as he went through a stack of mags, "I think he's one heck of a hottie," he said, grinning at me.   
  
"So you are gay," I said.  
  
"Not really. I'm a bi. Isn't one of your girls one too?" he asked me, dusting off a mag.  
  
"I made it clear to them. What they do during their free time is their own. I'm not going to judge them on their sexual preferences," I told him.   
  
"How many of them hit on you?" he asked me slyly.  
  
I sighed. "Five. And three were real les," I told him. "The least they could have done was to be original. I know that women are more senstive then men to their partners but they didn't have to tell me that!" I said, blushing, but half in anger too.   
  
Note: I'm not against lesbians. Take this all in the spirit of fun. I'm only 18 FGS!  
  
"Ah, here they are. What, you're not going to look?" he asked me as I shook my head.  
  
"Call me weird, but I have this thing about looking at other's prop when I've promised it to them. I won't look unless they let me," I said.   
  
"And I thought getting into this business is weird," he said.   
  
"Usual people paying?" he asked.   
  
"Yup. Thank," I accepted the bundle from him.   
  
"Whoever that guy is, I hope he likes the pics!" he said as I left the shop.   
  
"It's a girl!" I shouted back. 


	4. Day Four

Sapplefuss was understandably overjoyed when I showed her the two mags. Her plane tickets had disappeared into her pockets, as well as the letter of recommendation from Koenma. She read them, and then flipped the pages to where the man of her *sic!* dreams was posing in the moving pictures.   
  
"Where did you get these?" she asked me as she looked hungrily through the pages.   
  
"That's for me to know. Why?" I asked her.  
  
"Do you know that even the Playwitch publishers don't have any back issues of this? They're all gone!" she said to me.   
  
"Lucky you then," I replied sarcastically.   
  
"Where. Did. You. Get. This." she asked, this time looking at me in the eye.   
  
I tried very hard to whistle nonchanlantly, but I failed. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I was intimidated by her. I just can't whistle.   
  
"Karen..." she was saying, a dnager note in her voice.   
  
Right on cue, I saw my boyfriend. I knew that Sapplefuss was going to interrogate me, so I had made an appointment with my boyfriend and ahd told him that I would meet him in the park outside our college.   
  
"Hie dearest!" I called out to him. He came to my side, blissfully unaware that his beloved was just seconds away from incineration by an old friend.   
  
"I'll giev you the two mags when you come back from Hogwarts after the test. Ciao!" I made a quick escape with my boyfried.   
  
"What was that about?" he asked me.  
  
"Nothing dearest," I clung to his hand as we left the park. 


	5. Day Five

"Of all the -bleep- -bleep- -bleeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!- This had to happen, it had to happen today! What the heck got into you??!!" I was saying to one of my girls . I couldn't believe that two weeks of preparation had gone down the drain, just like *makes motion of snapping fingers* simply because one of my girls had an insatiable curiousity about the woman I was sending to Hogwarts.  
  
"Well," the girl began as I paced up and down the small room Nat had prepared for me when she called me this morning, "I didn't think it would do any harm..." she said, her eyes defiant.  
  
"DIDN'T THINK? YOU DIDN'T THINK?? MY GOD, ILENA, IF MOLDY HAD FOUND OUT, OUR WHOLE OPERATION WOULD NOT ONLY BE JEOPARDISED, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR BRAINS, WOOL??" I said angrily and as loudly as I could, which was pretty loud. Thank God the room was soundproof, or the whole building would have heard me.   
  
"Now, you're going to be on a three weeks' suspension," I said when she 'squeaked,' "And you'll get the full list of what I want you to do when you get back in three days. Stay away from ENGLAND! You're lucky you're getting only a suspension," I told her, looking at her straight in the eye.   
  
She understood what I said and just took her leave. Nat came in and saw that Ilena was looking despondent. I shook my head and declined to speak with her. I did know that the contingency plan now went into effect.   
  
"Tell the girls that it's a Code Blue now. I want their names two weeks before Halloween," I told Nat, who just stared at me.   
  
"Where are you going?" she asked me as I bent down and traced an ascending golden circle around me.   
  
"To warn my contact," I said, disappearing into the air.   
  
Part Two  
  
After hustling Cornelius, I waited in the Forbidden Forest for Sapplefuss to appear, as I knew she would. I was wearing a long, white robe and a leather pouch was slung around my waist. The pouch contained a special powder that would imbue it's user with the short-term ability to see things as they really were. Different times and different proposes would have different effects. However, I was not sure as to whether the powder was comaptible with Sapplefuss, as I've never heard of a witch or wizard trying it.   
  
I sat Barb down and had a nice, long talk with her. Contrary to what she may have written, she was totally pissed off with the description of the man who was practically the only one in the whole of Asia who believed that Moldie was the one destined by the Heavens (all nine of them) to rule the whole world. Couple that with the fact that the Chinese are notorious for keeping the bloodline pure, and you have a recipe for disaster. Pervert? Nope, just a neccessity.   
  
"He's not naked because he wants to be, Barb," after all, we were both raised by Asian Muggle families we knew how they thought, "He's naked because clothes impede his Illusions and would be a waste of energy. Look, let me show you," I told her. Sticking out my hand, I made it 'blend' into the invisiblity. It was actually not a hard task to do, but making the Illusion extend to the rest of my body was not worth the effort. After all, I could bend my surroundings to do the exact same thing, but with a lower energy output.   
  
She fairly freaked out to see my hand slowly disappearing into my sleeve, and the sleeve hung as though it was still on my hand. I could hardly stop myslef from giggling, but I contended myself with a smirk. Needless to say (but I'm going to say it anyway) she believed me.   
  
"And you need me to do what again?" she asked me.   
  
"Stay in Hogwarts and look out for any new Death Eaters. This man is bound to come looking for Voldie soon. His most dreaded enemy is there and there is no way he is just going to leave it like that," I told her.   
  
"Who's dreaded enemy?" she asked me.  
  
"Voldie and this guy. We call him BKRG by the way. While Voldie hates Harry, BKRG hates Asians. That which you most hate becomes your greatest strength," I quoted.   
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"There was a magician who hated old people, yet he dressed up like one. It enabled him to attain greater power than usual. He used his hate as the main source from which he drew his power. I'm surprised that he lasted that long," I said the last part more to myself than to her.   
  
"You mean the magician is still alive?" she said incredulously.  
  
"Last I heard. He was supposed to be patrolling the boundaries of the Demon and Human Dimensions as the penalty for losing a tournament though," I explained.   
  
"What is this Demon and Human Dimesions thing about? You told me part of it but not all," she said to me.   
  
"In Japan, the line between the Demon world and the Human world is especially thin. Unlike other countries, Japan broke off contact between their supernatural beings and humans. While Europe still have giants, dragons and the like roaming the world, there is no such thing in Japan. They are totally cut off from the human world. Many of them still subscribe to the belief that Ninjens, or normal humans, are inferior to them. Wizards and witches, by the way, are totally different. They still dream of world domination and they're no more than just stupid followers. If Voldie finds out about their existence and manages to tempt even five of them to him, we are dead. The Western Wizards have no defence whatsoever against them. I'm willing to bet none of them ever suspected that anything else besides a human had brains," I told her.  
  
"YOU MEAN THERE ARE OTHER BEINGS WHO ARE SENTIENT BESIDES THE ONES WE ALREADY KNOW?" she said sarcastically.  
  
"Their kind of sentience is not like ours. Many of them can't even come close to strategy like ours. These youkais though, have the knowledge of a millenia, even older. They're more dangerous than mermaids, Grindlylows (Please correct me if I'm wrong) and other creatures because of this. Your new Defence Against Dark Arts Teacher will be coming soon. He's a master at this and should be able to give you all the info you and the other teachers will need. (Maybe even more, I thought to myself. Hey, this teacher was a HUNK!) He'll also assist you in case you need any help. Any more questions?" I asked her.  
  
"Where are my other two issues?" she said.  
  
"Er... When you've taken the exam I'll give them to you. You just have to take the exam," I replied, watching her face carefully.   
  
"I don't have to pass it?" she said.   
  
"Look at it this way. If and when you pass the exam, you'll be working with the man of your dreams. The issues are just to console you if *in the unlikely event," I muttered to myself, "YOu fail. You're still getting the mag regardless," I said.  
  
She looked at me with narrowed eyes, and I thought to myself that it was best if I just disappeared. I had to return that stupid Portkey to Cornelius though. Personally, I prefer using my Shikigamis, but these people were stupidly strict about Muggles seeing girl riding a dragon in the sky. Hey, it was a common occurence in Asia! 


	6. Day Six

Ah...... The pleasures of soaking in a nice, long, hot bath after a tiring days' work. The fact that the place where I was was the famous hot springs of Hokkaido seem to add to the charm. It was autumn here, and the coldness added to another layer of delightful pleasure...  
  
"Miss, your laptop," the old woman said, bringing in a small laptop to the secluded pool where I lounged and plugged it into a small power point.   
  
I laid back into the water, waiting for the laptop to heat up. There was just something so relaxing about hot water. Looking up, I closed my eyes and did some simple breathing exercises.  
  
A hoot made me open my eyes. It landed on an owl I recognized as being from Hogwarts. It was standing rather precariously on the screen of the laptop. Removing the letter from it's feet, I read it and smiled to myself. "There now, Barbara, that wasn't so bad,was it?" I said to myself. I remembered my promise to her and reminded myself to get the digitalized copies of Snape in all his loveliness. I *shuddered* in the agony that went through my mind when I'd opened the mags, but it was of no use as his splendid body stuck in my mind. GODS! Why would anyone want to do such things I don't know, but my taste did not run to men like him.  
  
"Mistress?" a beautiful young mother was standing behind me, a look of concern on her face.   
  
It's nothing, Plenia. I was trying to erase some bad memories," I told her.   
  
"You mean Potions Master Snape? He has a superb physique to be sure, but I think Rajah has a better bod," she giggled like a small school girl.   
  
"Help! I'm surrounded by sex-crazed fiends!" I said in my mind to her. Plenia merely laughed.   
  
*****  
  
It was quite some time later when I reached my home country. Dimensional travel is all and good, but no one shoud push themselves to do it. The effects of the hot bath was nearly gone not thanks to that old wound I received while training quite some years back.   
  
"Hello Tarot," I said absently to the phoenix owl. It hooted at me again, and I grinned. One of the benefits of being a Shikigami MIstress is the ability to grasp the lagnuages of 'Magical' creatures. Dragons and Unicorns were my favourites.   
  
I rummaged through one of my drawers in the room I shared with a college mate and pulled out a carefully-wrapped package. I then proceeded to mail them off to Barb, as I had promised to give her the remaining issues of Snape that had appeared in PLaywitch. Of course, I remembered to include a letter congatulating her. There was no need for her to know about the relationship Interpol had with Dumbledore.   
  
*****  
  
When Tarot was gone and the house unusually quiet for a weekday, I turned on my computer and started typing. Moldie was lying low and so was BKRG. Something was up, and I needed to find out what. There had been sightings of them in some places, but most of them were just that, sightings. NOne of my girls were able to pick up a single trace of them, not even the five girls I'd assigned when I first found out about Moldie several years ago.  
  
After two hours, there was still nothing. The only thing people were talking about was the Eye of the Heart. IT was a jewel the size of my heart and what was so special about it was the different shades and colours it presented.   
  
In yellow light, the jewel was green, but then the shades would be so varied from different angles that it would seem to be crystal-clear instead. It was also the same for other coloured-lights. I had seen the jewel once, and overheard someone say that is was pureIt was also rumoured that it had magical powers, but that had been disproved by the Wizarding Community quite some time back.   
  
Or had it? I clicked on the icon again, and I really took a good look at the jewel. As I examined its image on my computer closer, I realized that even in a static image, the colours would change if you looked at it from different angles. "Oh no," I said to myself. "That's the Eye."   
  
Part Two  
  
I looked up on the Internet all I could find about the Eye and to my shock, I found out that the Eye was one of the Six Aritfacts needed to open a Dimensional Gateway without the use of a Element Mistress. Let me explain.   
  
There are six, not five, main elements. The usual four Elements, such as Fire, Wind, Water and Earth, can exist without the need for a catalyst, meaning that they can each stand alone, such as water in ice in outer space, Fire, the sun, Asteroid winds and Earth, well... I guess you can guess (no pun intended) what it means. The fifth element is Life, which is the manifestation of all the previous four Elements. It is also the connecting piece between the Four Basic Elements and the Sixth Element, which is Hope. There can be no life without Hope, and no Hope without Life. Sooner or later, the Elements will form Life, and then Hope comes alive. Without these elements, opening a Dimensional Gateway (which would allow us not only to travel to different places on Earth, but also other planets) would be impossible. However, it is possible to open a Dimensional Gateway with six different Element Masters, but only one Mistress is needed for the task. This is mostly due to the fact that women tend to be more emotional rather than men, so the energy is burned up faster. The different biological make-up also plays an important role. It's easier for women to release emotions and powers than for men.   
  
There are only six Artefacts that can open a Dimensional Gateway, and these six have to be used together. They allow even a normal person to use the Gateways, but they came at a terrible price. It was said that the only people who could use the Artefacts were those who had lost their souls. That made sense... 


	7. Day Seven

I leant back on my chair, reading the printouts. There was nothing in there that I did not know already, but there was still something that was not quite right. The other five Objects were still missing, and for once, I had absolutely no idea where they were.   
  
I decided to call it a night. The pile would still be there in the morning, and thank God I had ended my semester last week. I could afford to sleep in. There was nothing pressing after all. As I slept, my Shikigamis appeared out of my shadow and curled up around me on the bed. No one would see me, but I locked the room door anyway. None of the girls were going to be home, but better safe than sorry.   
  
The next day dawned too bright and early for my taste. I got up and looked at it, wondering why oh why couldn't I just stayed home and sleep, but instead get out to see Natalie. How do I know that she wanted to see me? One of the Messenger Shikigamis had left a 'message' in my dreams.   
  
Sighing, I got up and went to take a shower...   
  
Part Two  
  
I got in the next day bright and early. There were still some stuff that I had to prepare before the exhibit came to Malaysia. That single one Jewel was enough to lead them to the others. And among those others, was an item that would allow the users to control others. What I was the most worried about was the fact that in the hands of a demon, a sentient demon that is, one that is intelligent and can think for itself could be changed totally.   
  
What made it all the more frightening was that nearly half of the population on Earth had some kind of demon blood in them. Even if it were several thousand generations ago, the person would still be subject to the whims and fancies of the user of the object.   
  
My sister and I were demons.   
  
Part Three  
  
Natalie was still reading when I came in. There was a uncomfortable look on her face, as though she had something she didn't like to tell me, which I guess, was true. I settled myself into the chair in front of her, waiting for her to speak. When she didn't, I sighed and took out a small notebook. I scribbled in it while waiting for Nat to speak, knowing, as I did, that she would soon get irritated and tell me why she called me here.   
  
She finally gave up and put the file down. "Have you heard of a woman named Sifidilius Sapplefuss?" she asked me.   
  
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. There was no reason for me to say that I knew her. "No, although the mane sounds familiar," I said. Natalie nodded and then proceeded to tell me that she was starting her classes tomorrow. At that, my eyes bulged. I never knew she was starting so early!  
  
"Forgive me, Nat, but I have to go..." I began when Nat threw me an envelope.   
  
"There's a return ticket to Japan and then to England from there. Su called me up and made the arrangements. According to her, Duimbledore has already made the arrangements concerning Kurama and Hiei as well as you. The only thing left to consider was the positions for you and Hiei. According to Su, Kurama is the new DADA teach. Why are you laughing?" she asked me.   
  
"Private joke, Nat. Is there a reason you brought Sapplefuss up, or was it just for fun?" I said, laughing.   
  
"She's on SLythrine. You're in Gryffindor, Hiei Ravenclaw and Kurama Hufflepuff," she said. At that, I laughed even louder. I couldn't stop laughing, even when I was on the plane to Japan. 


	8. Day Eight

Some things would never change. I landed at Narita Airport and immediately put on my sunglasses. I was dressed in a black leather skirt, a tight leather jacket and had on black knee-length boots. The black sunglasses added the perfect touch. After all, I had an image to maintain in Japan.   
  
I carried my black leather bag and made my way through customs. There was no one waiting for me, or so I thought. I stood a moment, getting my bearings when this cute red-haired guy came up to me. He had green eyes and a slim build that I liked. He wore a soft red Chinese-type outfit with flower motifs on the right side of his top. It was nothing more than a single-piece with long pants underneath. A picture of ancient Sifus came to mind.   
  
"Are you Miss Naoko Kensaku?" he asked me. His voice (sorry for Kurama fans, but I've never heard his voice as I don't have the Anime series :`( )was husky and sent a delicious shiver up my spine.   
  
"Yes," was all I said, waiting for him to continue.   
  
"I'm Syuichi Minamino, the new Defence Against Dark Arts Teacher. Your imoto (younger sister) asked me to pick you up. Will you follow me?" he asked courteously.   
  
I followed him and to my surprise, he brought me to a red Porsche GT Carrera ('97 model) that had the LA numberplate "Scythe Wielder." It was a subtle piece of business, just like my sister. I grinned as he opened the boot.   
  
"I'm driving," it was a statement, not a request.  
  
"You don't have a licence," he said, just as cool.   
  
I slammed the boot shut, went to the passenger's side, opened the compartment and took out a glove. Inside the glove was a single card. It was the Interpol's Internation Driver's Licence, which I obtained eight years ago. The look on his face was precious! His eyes were opened a little wider and his lips were pouted. He looked like a child! Kawaii!  
  
I laughed. Holding my hand out for the keys, I explained to him that it was actually a ten-year license. He smiled wryly. When we got into the car though, we both sobered and he explained what was happening to me.   
  
"We have a problem. I don't think even I can persuade Hiei to go," he said.   
  
"When are we due to leave?" I asked him.   
  
"Tomorrow," he said.   
  
"Leave it to me and Sukina," I said.   
  
Part Two  
  
The car was a dream to drive. As Minami gave me directions, I only half-listened to him. "Tell me, Minami, do you know what you are supposed to do?" I asked.   
  
"Yes. I'm supposed to teach them about Dark Arts, particularly about the Youkais in the World. I don't know about the ones in the West, but I don't recall Japan being so vicious," he said.   
  
"Yes, and it's all their fault. We've been trying to get them to update their information, but the more civilized they get... Well, I'm a little annoyed that they're trying to do all their corrections at the last minute and getting us to help them," I replied.  
  
"Well, I can't teach them about spells and all, but what was this?" he took out a piece of paper and read it to me.  
  
"We would like you to teach the students about your kind of magic, particularly concerning 'Chi.' If you would, please send a list of the textbooks for your classes? Signed, Albus Dumbledore," he said.   
  
"That's normal procedure. He's merely trying to ensure the kids can keep up. Well..." I amended when I realized something, "One student anyway."  
  
"Okay. Turn left here. WATCH OUT!" He shouted as we nearly crashed into a small, Mini patrol car.   
  
"Relax, we're not in the wrong," I said.  
  
"That's not what worries me," he said, grinning sheepishly.   
  
As two familar police officers came up to us, he said, "I got into some trouble with them before."   
  
Part Three  
  
I recognized the two officers immediately. "Konichiwa, Aoi-sempai. What are you doing here?" I asked. She smiled at me. I liked 'her' smile. It was sincere.   
  
"I'm not sure whether we've met?" she said.  
  
"I was a junior with Sukina Toriyama before you changed to the Bokuto Precint Wrong spelling, I know, so can someone PLEASE help me? *too lazy to look at a dictionary. :p "Naoko?" she said, surprised.   
  
"Hait! Sunimasen for nearly running you down, but it's hard to see from my angle," I said.   
  
"We know and we're trying to prevent others from making the same mistakes. I'll let you off with a warning now. Are you coming to the Station?" she asked.   
  
"Maybe, but if I have time. Thanks for the offer though," I said. She seemed not to have noticed Minami.   
  
"Sayonara!" she said, and we were off.   
  
Part Four  
  
"You were saying?" I asked Minami.   
  
He just grinned sheepishly.   
  
"Have you and the others already packed?" I asked him.   
  
He nodded. Then he went on to tell me about all the other members and I nodded. Those were the ones my sister had put on the list. i was a little surprised though, when he told me that Botan was coming along. I did not really see a reason for her, until he explained that the table Ghost girl could not leave Japan and even if she could, Koenma was reluncant to let her leave. She is a ghost after all. I sighed. It MIGHT have been a little too much to hope for.   
  
"Well," I said as I carefully turned into a small street, "That leaves only Hiei to take care of, right?" I asked him.   
  
We stopped in front of a small house. Near a corner of the huge yard though, I could see a large cluster of kids and one very familiar golden-haired girl at the bottom of a tree. They looked as though they were trying to coax something out of the tree, and anyone who saw them would have thought it was a cat.   
  
I knew better. From the way my sister was standing with her hands on her hips, I hope that Hiei was prepared to spend the whole day up on that tree. :p 


	9. Day Nine

I got out of the car but did not leave it. There was a look of utmost horror on Kurama's face, and we were both quite aware of what Hiei would do when cornered.   
  
I honestly did not envy Hiei. He most likely had done something to make my sister get so annoyed. I know my little sister. It takes a lot to make her annoyed, much less really angry. While Kurama closed the door and hurried over towards them, I stood at the car, waiting for one of the kids to look in my direction. I haven't seen them for nearly five years, and the little babies I once held in my hands were no longer babies.   
  
One of them, upon realizing that Kurama was there, turned to look at the direction from whence he came. There was a frown on her face and she tugged at her companion's sleeve. Her companion, a deep brown, hazel-eyed child, observed me for a moment and just as gravely, I looked back at her. Suddenly, I tilted my head a little to a side and grinned. The child pulled free of her restraint and ran to me. "'Kaa-san (Mother)!" she called out, running as fast as her short legs could carry her.   
  
I closed the door and moved to catch her in my arms. I missed my little child, my goddaughter. She had been only two years old when we parted, and I was unsure that she would recognize me. I hugged her close to me to inhale her scent. She smelled of trees, grasses, and all kinds of outdoor smells, and to a certain extent, in marginal need of a bath (That was from Seeress of Kell by Leigh and David Eddings). I thought that she was a tomboy. "'Kaa-san, I missed you. Where were you?" she asked me. I didn't answer her, but merely carried her in my arms over to where my sister stood, still watching the tree. Hiei must have really pissed her off.   
  
"Konichiwa," I greeted her.   
  
"Konichiwa," she said, not taking her eyes off the short, cowering man on a tree branch.   
  
"What happened?" I asked.  
  
"Just frightening him," she said in our secret language. Both of us had taken a course in ancient language when we were younger. It came from being an Alin'sa.   
  
"He should have known better than to try to scare a kid with a glare," she explained.   
  
"Who kicked him?" I asked, guessing actually.   
  
"I did, I did!" a younger boy, who looked like my goddaughter except that he had blond hair said. "And he took out his katana!" he continued.  
  
"What happened after that?" I asked, fondly ruffling the boy's hair.   
  
"This. I blew my top, scared the hell out of him, and well, he's been like a neko (cat) ever since," she admitted.   
  
"Why don't you tell him that you'll desist if he'll come with us to Hogwarts?" I asked.   
  
"Not quite yet. He's not that desperate yet, and we'll give him another few minutes. Why don't you take Kurama in with you and say hie to 'Kaa-san Ikari? Without his friend here, it'll be easier to break him," she said grinning evilly at me.   
  
"You're evil, you know that?" I grinned in return.  
  
"Of course! We evil people always get our way, don't ya know?" she said.   
  
We both looked up at Hiei and gave him our patented (hey, we paid sixty bucks for that! :p) 'We're-the-embodiement-of-the-worse-kind-of-evil-you'll-find-anywhere' Look. The look worked effectively as it did in the Hannibal Lecter series as well as tonnes of other classical, evil villains' movie. Since 1990, we've managed to rake in about US$10milion each. Hey, Bollywood uses it the most often! Hiei was shivering even more.   
  
Ten minutes later, there was Hiei, all nicely packed and ready to leave. He stood as far away as he could from my sister though. ^_^  
  
Part Two  
  
Several parts of this chapter was left balck, so I would really appreciate it if someone would help me fill in the blanks. Arigato gozaimascu!!!  
  
I left the three of them at the orphanage and made my way to Meioh High, where my sister assured me that the rest of those who were supposed to follow us to Hogwarts were. Before this, I only had a rough idea of whom to expect, but my sister had now given me the complete list of all those who were following us, and to a certain extent, it made sense. Each of them had been chosen apparently because they had grown up in extraordinary circumstances, although what their definitions of extraordinary varied. This is the list of their full names and origin (where applicable):  
  
Kurama (aka Syiuichi Minamino-Sukina and Naoko/Karen don't know his human name) -   
  
Position at Hogwarts: Defense Against Dark Arts Teacher  
  
Speciality: Plants Weaponary and Thievery  
  
Education: Graduate of Meioh High, (Yuyu Hakusho).   
  
Original Form: Fox Demon  
  
Age: ?  
  
Hiei Koorime  
  
Position at Hogwarts: Martial Defense Teacher   
  
Specialities: Martial Arts, particularly sword-fighting. User of the Royal Black Fire Arts. Also known as a High-Ranking Three-Eyed Magician (Yuyu Hakusho)  
  
Education: ?  
  
Age: ?  
  
Peter/Pito  
  
Postion: Student (placed to observe House Griffyindor)  
  
Speciality: Martial Arts, also able to change into fog, inherited from his vampire father. Is a half-vampire. Eats flowers and hates garlic. (Ghostsweeper Mikami)  
  
Education:   
  
Original Form: Human but has fangs  
  
Age: 500 years old  
  
Tadao Yokoshima  
  
Position: Student (placed to observe House Ravenclaw)  
  
Speciality: Is a master at Hentai- pervert. Gets his power from imagining the nakedness of women. Specialises in forming 'chi' weapons, powered by his imagination. Is also an apprentice Ghostsweeper. (Ghostsweeper Mikami)  
  
Education:  
  
Original Form: Human  
  
Age:  
  
Botan Healer (a fake surname)  
  
Position: Student (placed to observe House Hufflepuff)  
  
Speciality: Healer and politics of Reikai. (Yuyu Hakusho)  
  
Education: ?  
  
Original Form: Human (?)  
  
Age: ?  
  
Clapika Kuruta (Using name of tribe as surname)  
  
Position: Student (placed to observe House Hufflepuff)  
  
Speciality: Special 'nen'-user, highest level of chi. Weapon of choice is chain. (Hunter X Hunter)  
  
Education: ?  
  
Original Form: Human  
  
Age: ?  
  
Gon  
  
Position: Student (placed to observe House Gryffyindor)  
  
Speciality: Hunter. Has a talent for controlling wild animals. (Hunter X Hunter)  
  
Education: ?  
  
Original Form: Human  
  
Age:  
  
Killua Zodiack (correct spelling please!)  
  
Position: Student (placed to observe House Slytherine)  
  
Speciality: Assassin (Hunter X Hunter)  
  
Education: Home-educated by his family, the Zodiacks  
  
Original Form: Human, but with enchanced traits due to history and possible selective breeding  
  
Age:   
  
Shuura Yomi (using father's name)  
  
Position: Student (placed to observe House Ravenclaw)  
  
Speciality: Fighter. Uses chi attacks like his father. No othre information available (Yuyu Hakusho)  
  
Education: ?  
  
Original Form: Youkai (demon). Ordinary humans (including wizards and witches) are not able to detect his form.   
  
Age: ?  
  
Sukina 'Su' Toriyama  
  
Position: Student (placed to observe House Slytherine)  
  
Speciality: Healer/Fighter. Is a 'chi'-based attacker. Has rudimentary control powers. Telepathic.  
  
Education: T.A. Girls' College (Kindergraten till upper secondary)  
  
Original Form: Human, although there are rumours that she has youkai blood in her as well.   
  
Age: 16  
  
Naoko Kensaku aka Karen Rump  
  
Position at Hogwarts: Weaponary and Elements Teacher  
  
Speciality: Shikigami Renegade Mistress and Illusionist. Has full control powers of Life. Slightly telepathic.   
  
Education: ?  
  
Original Form: Human, although descent is suspect like Su's.   
  
Age: 18  
  
Meioh High was where they all agreed to meet. I drove there, not knowing what to expect. All I knew was that I was supposed to confirm their attendence, and to ensure that we all got to the airport on time (the plane was leaving tomorrow) but there was already talk that we were each going to make our own way to Hogwarts and meet the others there. I shuddered to think of the implications.   
  
Part Three  
  
As we boarded the plane, at least three of us kept a very close eye on Yokoshima. Kurama and Killua were holding his restraints, but I was not sure whether that would be enough to restrain him. Yokoshima was strapped in a straitjacket and his mouth was also bound. Even though the stewardesses gave us weird looks, we knew better. Due to the fact that Interpol was paying, we were travelling first class and had the whole cabin all to ourselves.   
  
"You guys are serious," Peter said as soon as we were all alone.   
  
"What's the big deal about this guy, anyway? It's not like we can't handle him," Yokoshima concurred.   
  
"If it were as simple as that, Koenma wouldn't have shrieked so loud," Botan said. Here's a fairly accurate description by one of the people working in Reikai during the incident:  
  
Koenma's shriek could be heard throughout the whole building. In fact, it was, and then some. Quite a number of sprites waiting outside for their judgement were shocked, and not a few attempted to flee out of terror. The oar girls were doing their best to calm the sprites down, and after they did, Koenma's fiancée walked through the long halls with Botan in tow. Both of them were actually more angry than curious; Koenma normally shrieked at the smallest things.  
  
This time, though, what had happened was no small thing. A missive, penned by an urgent hand, was in his grasp. It contained bad news of the highest degree. He knew that the wizard was powerless before, and the Makai would/could not do anything to help the wizard because the portal was closed, but now it would be different story. Once he found out about them and them him…  
  
"She does have a point." Kurama said.  
  
"Hn." (Hiei of course. Who else?)  
  
"This doesn't concern us in any way, Sukina-chan," Killua said.   
  
"Not now. Are you going to wait until he enslaves your..." she stopped short of saying family, knowing how he felt about them, "Whole being? He doesn't just stop at your family. He won't stop there. He had already enslaved many and was on the verge of..." I suddenly clapped my hands over my sister's mouth. There was no need for them to know that yet.   
  
"On the verge of what?" Botan asked.   
  
"Finding a way to enslave human minds on a mass scale," I lied quickly.   
  
"Natalie-san asked me and Clapika to find out about the Eye of the World. She said that you would appreciate the information," Gon interrupted, holding the sheaf of papers like a peace offering.   
  
I looked at him in surprise. In another few minutes, I would have launched myself at the next person who doubted our words, and here was Gon, reading the situation correctly, or maybe Clapika, I amended to myself as I caught the young Kuruta breathing a sigh of relief. As things settled down, somewhat, I moved over to another part of the cabin and proceeded to read the papers Gon had so kindly given me. There was nothing much in there that I did not already know.  
  
Part Four  
  
"You're hiding something, Naoko-chan," Kurama sat down next to me after a few minutes.  
  
"Leave me alone, Kitsune. I want to have these memorised before we land at Heathrow," I said, hoping he would get the message. Trust my luck to get me saddled with the one person on this whole, entire, rigmarole to know more than he needed to.   
  
"The Angel of Life is guarded by the Daughter of Death and the Princesses of the Elements. With the Sight, They shall conquer the World. With a Soft Touch They shall Rule it. With a Kiss They shall enslave it. A Scent will enchance the World. A Love will Keep It secure, and Beauty shall forever Endure. The Nameless One shall guide them," he said.   
  
I didn't look up at him. Suffice to say that I was... stunned. "How did you know that?" I asked him.   
  
"The kitsune youkos have had that prophecy for a long time. It's said to have been originated at the time of Lord Minai and his son, Kitsune. They married ninjens after all. You should know that, Duana," he said, using an ancient word for those who were both of this world and yet, not of the world.   
  
"We're not Duana," I immediately defended Su's heritage and mine.   
  
"Oh?" he said, mildly amused. "Look at me, little one, and tell me that you are not of Suriela's and Ruina's descent. Don't the names Cara and Camillie StarLight·DreamCasters mean anything to you?" he asked me.   
  
"You know damn well the answer to that question," I said, not looking at him. How the **ll did he find out about our heritage?  
  
He turned his back unto the others, shielding them and me from each other. His hand shot out and captured my chin. Irrationally, I focused on his hands. They were smooth, almost like a noblewoman's hands, but were warm like a man's. I was trying to keep my mind off him. He turned me to face him, but I refused to look at him. I closed my eyes. "Open your eyes!" he hissed. My body obeyed him. "Admit at least your true identity to me, little one. I hate being lied to," he said, his teeth clenched. His eyes, before this green, had started to change into a dangerous gold.   
  
"This has nothing to do with Voldemort," I said flatly.  
  
"It has everything to do with him, you little fool! He knows this, doesn't he? It's not so much as the youkos you girls are afraid of, it's the discovery that the Prophecy is true!" he said, correctly guessing the secret my sister and I had kept hidden since the first Element Princess was born.   
  
"What if it were?" I asked.  
  
  
  
"You'll have to help me there, little one. All I know is if he somehow gets control over you and you sister, this world is going to be worse than Hell!" he said.   
  
"No," I said. "That's not what's going to happen," I told him, shaking my head.  
  
"What will?" he asked, but I refused to answer him. "You asked for my true identity. Fine, I'll give it to you. I'm supposed to be the reincarnation of Cara StarLight, the Daughter of Death. Supposed is the word for it, as I have no idea how they validated it. I'm also the daughter of Ariala Lee Mitschenchov and Daneil Sionar. I'm a graduate of the Shilkagosa Shikigami School of Magic, as well as being the youngest Grandmaster of the Rosé. Do you know how *bleeeeeep!* *bleeeeeeeeeeeeppppp!!!* hard bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!* it was keeping this secret?" I said.   
  
"The Dancing Scholar," he whispered.   
  
"What?" I asked him, a little distracted. To tell the truth, I was a little pissed off, worried and yet relieved at the same time. If Kurama could see clearly to penetrate our covers... Yet it was a relief to finally have someone else who was not out of this world... Well, not completely at least, who knew who we were.   
  
"Your secret is safe with me..." he began to say when we heard a large thud behind him.   
  
"Sorry..." everyone was saying. It appeared everyone had heard our conversation. Both Kurama and me fell heads first onto the floor.  
  
"They didn't hear anything. I made a barrier as soon as you appeared," I said in archaic Japanese.   
  
"We'll talk more of this anon," he said. I nodded grimly and went back to my reading. There was no need to worry Su over this yet. 


	10. Day Ten

After a long and exhausting flight, we finally landed in Heathrow. Yokoshima finally decided to behave himself and we removed the restraints. Most of us were suffering from jet lag. I had never liked flying, while Sukina had not flown for three years. Hiei looked as though he was about to kiss the ground. Kurama, was as ever, cool and calm, but I noticed that he was checking his hearing discreetly quite often. Gon was busy looking around, exclaiming at all the things he saw, while Kirua was shaking his head. Clapika had immediately ran to the toilet. Botan, used to long-haul flights, was humming away, while Yokoshima glared at her. Peter was getting some information for us at the counter. All of us had cleared Customs and were trying to figure out how we were going to get to Hogwarts. Someone was supposed to meet us, but whether at Diagon Alley* or here was open to debate.   
  
"The train station is in the city, Naoko-chan, but they have no idea where Diagonally (he did speak rather fast after all) is. We'll have to find our own lodgings for the night I guess," he said.   
  
"Well, blimey, are you the chaps that are supposed to be in Hogwarts?" a Scottish-type accent came from behind us.   
  
Su and I jumped, as did Botan. The rest all looked ready to fight. "Hagrid? You're Hagrid the Groundskeeper from Hogwarts, right?" I asked, after we'd all been standing and gaping at one another. The guys didn't hesitate because he was huge, they hesitated because he did not emanate any malicious chi. "Wow, yer'all the jumpiest bunch I've ever seen. Professor Kurama, Professor Hiei and Professor Karen, welcome to Hogwarts. Welcome to, to all of you," he said courteously.   
  
"Thank... you," Kurama said, a little confused. I didn't really think that Dumbledore would send Hagrid, although he was the obvious choice.   
  
"We've just landed here, and we'd like to get some rest before tomorrow. Is there a place nearby...?" I left it hanging, hoping Hagrid would get the idea.   
  
"Of course!" he said good-naturedly. "We'll sleep at the inn in Diagon Alley," he continued.   
  
"Um... we haven't seen much of London yet, so could we instead stay at one of the hotels here and do a little sight-seeing before we leave tomorrow?" Peter interjected as soon as he saw their faces.   
  
"Well," Hagrid replied, "It's a little hard ya know, lugging all those trunks..." he began when the rest of us looked at him with an even bigger puzzled look on our faces.   
  
"What trunks?" Sukina asked.   
  
"Well, didn't ya all brought trunks to Hogwarts? Yer know, for yer books, clothings and all...?" he said when he saw that there weren't any trunks at all.  
  
"We were going to buy our books and all other related materials in Diagon Alley. We do have several other bags to include all those, but they won't be much, ne, Onee-chan?" Sukina said, looking at me.   
  
"As far as we know. Let's see... Textbooks, the Ceremonial Robes... We don't need wands, no, definately not wands..." I began muttering to myself, losing myself in one of my mental lists. (Yes, I am mental, thank you very much).   
  
"Well, she'll have it all in the morning. Um... would you mind if we stayed at one of the," Sukina bristled at the word, "Muggle hotels here tonight? We'll meet you at Diagon Alley later, if you'll tell us how to get there," he said.   
  
"Well," he began, clearly undecided when Kurama jumped in smoothly. There was not a hint of an accent in his speech, which pretty much shocked my little sister.   
  
"I'll make sure that they won't stray. We're supposed to be leving at four, right? We'll meet you at Diagon Alley at Twelve. That should give us enough time," he said.   
  
"If you put it like that, Professor..." Hagrid began to say when Peter joined in. "I'll follow you, Professor Hagrid. I've seen London before, but I've never been to Diagon Alley. Besides, I miss Magical Accomodations," he said.   
  
Hagrid immediately brightened up. He took us all to the nearest hotel, which happened to be the Jewels. (I have no idea if such a hotel exists, and at this stage, I frankly don't care :p). The Jewels were owned by a trio of sisters who were close friends of ours. Futhermore, it was one of the most expensive and luxurious hotels in the vicinity. Just entering the lobby alone was enough to evoke a sense of luxury, sensuality and decadence. Su checked us all in except Peter and Killua, who was going to follow Peter to Diagon Alley. He told us that he had had enough of luxury to last a lifetime.   
  
Once we were in the rooms, Sukina handed me a piece of paper and a pen. I immediately began to scribble and when it was done, only then did I realise that we were no longer in the airport. She told me what had happened after taking and putting the list in a secure place.   
  
Part Two  
  
"Did you manage to reach them?" she asked me.   
  
"Yes. They all said the same thing. Not one of them can get Voldie's scent, but that's not unusual. After all, they've never meet him and neither have we. What is unusual is that they have sensed BKRG here. He's not one of our favourites, and they decided that they might as well follow him. They think he might lead them to Voldie. At the very least, we have an eye on one of his henchmen," I told her.   
  
"That was a good call. Does BKRG know we're here?' she asked.   
  
"Nope. As far as I can ascertain, I don't think he even cares if we're here. I just wish I could figure out who was it that was following us," I was slightly worried.   
  
"The others told me about it too, but I couldn't even get a tracker on him. Either he's damn good, or I'm blind to him," she replied.   
  
"You're kidding."  
  
"Any more than birds could fly. If I am blind to him, it must mean..."  
  
"He's a member of the Dead and beyond our reach," I completed.  
  
Someone knocked on our door. Sukina and I immediately reached for our weapons. She called out, "Who's there?" It was the others. She cautiously opened the door. The others seemed to be quite surprised at the weapons we held, particularly Botan, Kurama, and Clapika. Sukina held a pair of sickles, joined by a long cord, while I had a double-bladed staff in my hands. "Gomen," Botan said, "We did not mean to startle you." Her English accent was abominable, but at least she had the grammer right. It was a little too formal for my taste though.   
  
"It's okay," Sukina said.   
  
"Are you okay, Naoko-san?" Gon asked me. I nodded.   
  
"Why are you guys here?" I asked.   
  
"Where's Hiei?" Sukina asked.   
  
Kurama sighed. "Where else?"   
  
Sukina and I looked at Kurama incredulously. "He's sleeping in a tree?" we asked. He nodded.   
  
"What are our plans for tomorrow, Naoko-san?" Clapika asked me politely. He's such a nice boy! ^_^  
  
"Well, we have to buy our school supplies. That's the most important thing. Did you guys remember to bring money?" I asked.   
  
Surprisingly, or maybe not so, Kurama, Yokoshima, Botan and Shuura all held up coins of antique make. Shuura's, in particular, were rather ancient. My sister's eyes glimmered. We've both been trained as thieves when we were taken into Celeste's PriestessHood, and the training was reinforced when we were 'recruited' into the Interpol. We were under the Special Divisions, and it did not only consist of supernatural happenings, but also thievery, assassination (which was extremely rare) and other not-quite-so-legitimate activities. I loved those days! ^_^ My sister was an excellent thief, and she specialised in ancient stuff. I knew what she was going to say the moment Shuura took out the coins.   
  
"May I have a look at them?" she said. When he gave it to her, she sat herself in one corner, happily counting them while humming. From time to time, we could hear her making small squeals of delight.   
  
"Looks like I'll be paying for you, Shuura. She won't give those coins back, ever," I sighed.   
  
The cute, wide-eyed demon merely looked at me in puzzlement. I was not really surprised to see him sitting on Kurama's lap, as though he was six years old, though he looked 17. I knew for a fact that he was far younger than Gon, who's ten. I resisted the urge to ruffle his hair.   
  
"We'll be going to Diagon Alley. Then what?" asked Gon.   
  
"Well, if I'm not wrong, we'll have to get textbooks, robes, Pets for all of you and also your things for Spells and Potions..." Sukina interrupted me.  
  
"The list is here, Onee-chan. I think we can safely split into two groups after we change the money at Gringotts. One group can get the ingredients for Spells and Potions. The other can get the textbooks. We can meet during lunch and get the wands and pets after that," she said.  
  
"Kurama and Hiei can go with one group, Su and me with another. We can get things done faster that way," I concurred.  
  
"Fine, then we'll take Botan, Gon, Shuura and Clapika?" Kurama was uncertain about the last addition.   
  
"If you take Gon, you'll have to take Kirua as well. Kirua's not the most rational of people," I disagreed.   
  
"Compared to Hiei, he is," Sukina said, making us giggle.   
  
"Well... Tell you what, you take Clapika and Peter, we'll take Gon, Kirua, and Yokoshima," I said.   
  
"Is that such a good idea?" my sister asked me in our private language when Kurama agreed.  
  
"Kirua's fine, just only short-tempered when it comes to Hiei," I reassured her.  
  
"We'll get the textbooks then. You and Botan know more about herbs than anyone else," I said.   
  
"Agreed," he said. Sukina nodded. After that, they all left to sleep. Botan gave my sister a sleep medicine as she could not sleep when she was in a new place.   
  
*****  
  
"'Nee-chan, aren't you going to sleep?" my sister asked. She was ready for bed.   
  
"Iya. I need to finish off this letter to Barbara first. Oyasumi," I told her good night.   
  
"Oyasumi," she replied. 


	11. Letter

I sat at the desk and began to write a letter to Barbara. It had been a long time since I wrote to her, and I figured that she wanted a few updates. There were plenty that had happened, and as I went through my documents, I realized the exhibition would end in a few days. I wondered if I should attend that exhibition, and then thought the better of it. I was as bad as my sister when it came to things like these. I took out some paper and a fountain pen. The paper was thick, so the ink would not seep into the paper and would not be affected by rain.   
  
Dear Barb,  
  
How are you? Things have been pretty hectic lately. I know my previous letter was rather short, but we hadn't been able to hammer out the details then and it is a little hard to send an owl when you're in the plane. :) Well, this letter should reach you early afternoon tomorrow (for me at least) . We're now staying at a hotel for the night. We'll be going to Diagon Alley tomorrow and we'll be on the train later, but could you tell Dumbledore that we'll be late? I think the earliest of us will arrive late the day after tommorow. We're all planning to hike to the school, and we're going to split up and take the 'scenic' route. :) And before you say it, I know that it takes two hours to get to Hogwart by carriage. We're planning to take a detour of sorts.   
  
There's going to be eleven of us, including me. Nearly all of us are Japanese, and most of us, including me, had our education in Japan. The only exceptions are Clapika, Gon, and Kirua. All of their eductional background are unknown, but at least they all know how to read and write. Anything else can be arranged later. :p  
  
Kurama is the officially the 'head' of the group, although we're too well-mixed a group to listen to just one person. He's cool, calm and collected. He's quite smart and is a master at poisons. I've never seen anyone who's as good at poisons, history and herbalogy as he is. He's a good choice for the DADA position, as he's one of our specialists on Youkais here in the East. Let's see... He's 6ft 4, has gorgeous red hair and beautiful green eyes. Although he's been mistaken for being a girl before, I heard that's he's quite popular among ladies. He has a long fuse, although he does lose his temper, I've never heard of him doing so.   
  
Hiei Koorime is a mixed bag, I would guess. He's about 5ft plus, has spiky hair and oddly enough, there's a shock of white hair around the front of his head. He's a hot-head, so I think you'd better ask most of the students to step around him carefully. He's likely to decapitate anyone who annoys him. He's rather handy in a fight, and I should think that he makes an excellent Martial Defence teacher. He knows how to fight and he hasn't actually forgotten the basics. He uses a short thin sword, closer to the ones used in Europe rather than Japan, so at least the kids and him will have something in common. Does Dumbledore have all the blunt and soft swords ready yet? As soon as we're in the train, we're taking his sword away from him. Did I mention that unless proven, the both of them (Kurama and Hiei) are rather merciless?  
  
Peter/Pito is supposed to be 500 years old. To tell you the truth, the reason why he's on this trip with us is because Shiyou Ruyuki, the Goddess in charge of the mountains in Japan* and thus, of Magic-users, said so. He's a half-vampire, and like most vampires, am able to turn himself into fog. However, he does retain his form to a certain extent. He's the only one of us who's from Europe. He's a blond, but he has red eyes, a heritage from his vampire father. He's a hit with the girls. Every Valentine's Day, his locker is filled to the brim with chocolate, and there's always a group of girls after him who wants to give him chocolate, and I suspect, something even more. Nevertheless, he's smart and is rather responsible.   
  
Yokoshima however, is the exact opposite. He's not attractive and the reason why he's following us is because Shiyou Ruyuki didn't want him there. It's thawing there and a lot of girls are starting to wear shorter clothing. Shiyou decided to send him with us. He has the special ability to form shields with his 'chi.' By the way, chi or qi (depending on whom you're hearing it from), is the lifeforce every person has. It manifests itself in different ways and to some extent, even modifies their appearance. The more chi a person has, the more things he/she is able to do. Yokoshima's type is unique. He raises the tension/danger level in order to form the shields, and he gets the energy from thinking about sex. He never gets any, thank God. Sex I mean.  
  
Botan has blue hair and a perpetually blur expression. She's skilled in the arts of healing and is the only one in the entire team who doesn't have any fighting skills whatsoever. Sure, she can throw a punch or two, but it's more like hitting someone when you're trying to save your life than real training. However, she is good to have as she's the perfect foil to Yokoshima's pervertness. She has this innocent look on her face that makes him go mad! :)  
  
Clapika Kuruta... Now there's an enigma. According to some, he's no gender. His tribe doesn't have any. I don't know, but I consider him a guy. He has yellow hair and blue eyes that lend his face an innocent, gentle look. Don't let that fool you though. He's one mean fighter. He's a 'nen'- user, which is taking chi to the highest level and transforming it into something else. His eyes, like the eyes of his tribe, the Kuruta, turns red under immense emotion, and I don't mean the normal watery eyes red. I mean his irises turn red. When that happens, run! He's almost like Kurama, but not that merciless. He's here primarily to help us keep an eye on Gon and Kirua. The last two are inseparable now.   
  
Kirua Zodiack (by the way, I know I spelled his name differently, but I prefer the spelling Kirua to Killua. Kirua sounds rougher, which seems more fitting for his character rather than Killua) ^_^ is a straightforward character, almost like Hiei, but with sound political and underworld connections. At times, he's not really the most rational of characters, but then again, he's far better than Hiei. His family is a world-wide known family of killers, the Zodiack. He's the second youngest, but he's the heir of the family. The most obvious reason is that he's as fast as his father and grandfather, or even faster. He's also the most skilled, for now, but his sister may one day outstrip him, although I don't know about that. He's the best overall fighter in our group.  
  
Gon is the overall and unconscious leader of the trio. He knows how to charm any wild animal out of its furs and possibly their food for winter. It's rare to find someone who's as innocent and naïve as he is. He's got black eyes and black hair. He's kind-hearted but when he's determined about something, nothing stops him from getting it unless he's convinced that it'll result in evil. He's really frustrating at times. He's so straight, he'd make light look like the curls on instant noodles!  
  
Shuura Yomi is the son of Kurama's ex-colleague. Although his father is blind, his fighting skills are rather good, helped even more by his hyper-sensitive senses. This in turn, enabled him to fight even though he had lost sight. His son is almost on par with him, but he does not have enough experience that would make him pass the skills of the others. He's rather sweet at times, although a little overbearing, probably due to his upbringing. His father is a little arrogrant.  
  
Sukina 'Su' Toriyama is what some would say, my sister in a past life. There is a blue thread connecting us to each other on our wrists, but even without it, I would still call her my sister. She is my opposite in many ways. While I'm rough and as far from a lady as I could be, Su isn't. She's gentle, refined, elegant, but also very fierce and protective. She's a Healer, but not quite the Specialist Botan is. She's still far better than me though. Did I mention that she has sea-blue eyes, long blond hair and a slim figure? Her hair's tied up in a unique way. There are three braids on each side of her head above her ear. These braids are then pulled back and are held together with a blood-red rose. Kind of cool, ain't it?  
  
Well, that's all from me for now. I'll write you some more when I have the time, or if maybe I'll seen you there. Take care!  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Karen Rump.   
  
PS. Give Dumbledore my regards and tell him that Hagrid's doing a wonderful job. Thanks! ^_^  
  
*Some people believe that if you want to train, particularly to gain a magical skill, you must train on a mountain. 


	12. Day Ten, Part Four

I finished the letter and summoned one of my Shikigamis. Shikigamis, depending on whose version you've heard, are either very good, or very bad. For mine though, these are spirit protectors of certain families. Rokodou Meiko, a famous Ghostsweeper, is an example. She controls 12 Shikigamis, which is a feat because it's rather difficult to control Shikigamis that have been in a family for a long time.  
  
Mine, on the other hand, is rather different. When I was at Shilkagosa, I specialized in capturing Shikigamis, not training them. This meant that I was a Renegade Shikigami Mistress. Most Shikigamis, when their families die, don't die with them. Because they're spirits, they've nothing to fear of death. Over time, instead of being completely obedient, they begin to acquire a personality of their own, and sometimes, wisdom as well. Many of them want to protect something again, although some have become completely independent and to an extext, as sentient as a human. When they turn to mischief however, Renegade Shikigami Trainers are sent. You could say that I'm a rare breed, as I'm a Shikgami Mistres, which is the highest rank one can obtain.  
  
The thing about Shikigamis is that when they are destroyed, everything they have goes with them. Their experience, wisdom, everything that they have learnt over the years. It's even worse if they're connected to someone, i.e. they belong to someone. That person experiences such a profound sense of loss that they are nearly crippled. It feels as though their very being is ripped out, which is true to an extent. Shikigamis have a way of becoming part of your soul, which is why when they are destroyed, you'll feel as though your soul is dying.  
  
Ordinarily, Shikigamis are extremely hard to kill, but there is a way for me. I have an agreement with the Shikigamis I've captured, so that they get what they want and I'll get what I need. (Notice the difference? :p) Each of them, with the exception of my own Shikigamis, have three seals. These seals are pieces of wood that are shaped slightly like coffins, not caskets, which are more rectangular. Everytime I get the Shikigami to do something, a seal is used, and when all three are used up, they are free to leave. However, if the three seals are destroyed at the same time, the Shikigami in question dies. It's very sensitive. Unlike my peers though, I don't consciously make a choice when deciding which Shikigami to use, but rely on my instincts instead, especially for battles. For things like these though, I used my twin Phoenixes. They're fast, but notoriously mischivieous at the same time. Double happiness? More like double headache.  
  
I handed them the letter and looked at them sternly in the eyes. "This gets to Barbara, okay? No excuses, and I expect you guys home latest tomorrow afternoon," I said. They grinned. "I'll give you guys some cheesecake if you're early," I offered. Their grins became even wider. They had missed flying, and so had I. They left through the window.  
  
*****  
  
I got up, stretched, and walked over to where my Phoenixes had left. I closed the window and went to the beds. My sister was sleeping soundly, but as usual, she had thrown the covers off her feet and had one hand out. I gently covered her and then left the room. We were staying in this huge suitë that easily accomodated the eight of us. I wanted to have a drink, so I went in search of the minibar. To my surprise, Kurama was awake and sitting in the living room, having a glass of sakë. "Not sleeping yet?" he asked me.  
  
"Need a drink. You sure you can stay sober tomorrow?" I asked. I didn't know he drank.  
  
"It's only one glass. Want one?" he asked.  
  
"No thanks. I'm allergic," I replied.  
  
"Your sister scared the hell out of me when she proposed this two months ago," he began. Alcohol loosened his tongue, it seemed.  
  
"Two months? What were you guys doing the whole time?"  
  
"Briefings and lessons. Hiei and I needed to learn a few things about Western Magic. The others also had to attend English classes. It took a lot of time, but was worth it."  
  
I took out a can of Sarsi and sat down beside him. For a few moments, I was content to merely sigh and take a few sips of my drink. "I guess you're right. I was only informed a few days ago, but for some reason, you and Hiei seemed more unprepared than I am," I said.  
  
"Well... It's nothing we can't really handle... Do you know that we're teaching the first few classes together?" he asked.  
  
"You and Hiei?" He nodded.  
  
"I should be thankful. I'm half-afraid that he'll cut off someone's head," I confessed.  
  
"He'll control himself. Why don't you let your hair down? It's not like you're going to turn into a monster if you do," he joked. "It's rather cool in here isn't it? I guess you're right," I took out the rubber band and shook my hair out. It fell in soft waves.  
  
"You've got nice hair," he said, gently stroking my hair.  
  
"Thanks," I replied. "I have a boyfriend by the way," I continued.  
  
"I was paying a compliment, Naoko-san. If I wanted to seduce you..." he leant close to my ear, "You wouldn't stand a chance," he whispered in a deliciously sexy and throaty voice.  
  
I moved away and turned to face him. "Thanks for the warning," I said dryly.  
  
"You're welcome," he replied, in an offbeat manner.  
  
I couldn't help it. I laughed. 


	13. Day 11

It was a beautiful morning the next day. We'd all gotten up bright and early and by the time breakfast was being served, we were ready to leave. Most of us had small bags and in some cases a backpack, although Hiei had a cloth bag slung over one shoulder and Shuura's backpack was rather small. Gon and Clapika, used to travelling at a moment's notice, both carried schoolbags. Botan didn't carry anything. Kurama's backpack was only slightly smaller than mine; Su, him and me all carried hiker-sized backpacks, partly being Kurama had all those clothes his 'Kaa-san (Mother) had given him, and Su and me had already purchased our textbooks and some of our equipment. Yokoshima's backpack was larger than Su's and mine combined; I guess he was too used to carrying so many GS equipment he couldn't leave them behind, but we suspected that the contents largely consisted of hentai magazines.   
  
*****  
  
We left our bags at the concierge and made our way to the restaurant. The hotel's chef was on the verge of apoplexy when he saw the amount of food being consumed by us. I guess that the hotel had prepared for maybe a hundred people, but all of the food vanished within minutes. And that was just the buffet table. Was I glad that not one of us were paying for the food. We all finished eating about one hour later. The sun had just risen.   
  
Based on Hagrid's information, we made our way to Diagon Alley and were soon inside the place with the brick wall closing behind us. There were so many people here! We quickly made our way to Gringotts, where we waited until Kirua and Peter arrived with Hagrid, a few moments later. They gave me and my sis their money and with Kirua following us, procceeded to change the money inside.   
  
Inside the bank, the transaction went smoothly. We proceeded to divide the money into two slightly uneven piles, with more for our group, figuring that Kurama and Botan could probably bargain with the shopkeepers about the price of the ingredients. We split up, Kurama and Hiei going one way and Su and me the other. As agreed, Gon, Kirua and Yokoshima accompanied us while Botan, Clapika and Peter followed Kurama and Hiei. Hagrid said that he would meet us at pet shop later. According to him, he had some errands to run.   
  
We walked into Flourish and Bott's and was immediately greeted by the store assistant. We gave him the list of books and he grinned at us. "A little late to be buying books for school, isn't it?" he said. None of us replied him but were content to look around. He quickly scurried off to find the books. Among them were 'Tranfiguration for all Ages,' 'Tai-Chi for Beginners,' and translated versions of "The Differences between Ninjenkai, Makai and Reikai; Three Worlds Collide" and "Spirits, Ghosts and Demons Explained." Sukina had Gon and Kirua following her as she went around the bookstore, collecting books as she went and dumping them into the bewildered boys' arms. Yokoshima stood next to me, looking very disappointed.   
  
"You won't find the type of things you're looking for here. If you promise to behave, I'll get it for you," I said.  
  
"What do you think I'm looking for?" he asked.   
  
"You know what I mean. I only want your promise to behave in return," I said..   
  
"When I can get them?"   
  
"If you're exceptionally good, I'll let you have them once a month."  
  
"Once a month?" he said incredulously.  
  
"The magazine only appears once a month. I'll give you a back issue if I don't hear any complaints about you. That's fair, isn't it?" I offered.   
  
"I suppose," he replied.   
  
"Here are all the books you requested," the assistant said.   
  
"Thank you," I said, taking out our money. "How much are they?"   
  
"Well, if you'll step here, Miss," he motioned me to the counter.   
  
Yokoshima took the books from me and motioned to the boys. Su came over and helped me pay for the books. She shook her head at Kirua and Gon, who seemed relieved that they would not have to lug the books, but they looked askance at the books we'd just bought. They would have weighed at least 20 kilogrammes! It was not so much as the weight as it was the bulk. "How the heck are we going to carry that?" Kirua asked.   
  
"We're not going to carry all of them, Kirua, only the heavier ones. Half-half?" Sukina asked me.   
  
"Seven, eight, nine... Yup, that's the correct change. Thanks. Half sounds about right to me," I replied, carefully counting the change.  
  
"Mikra, Olanbsi, Tura," my sister said and three Shikigamis appeared. All of them took human shape, but one of them wore a white tiger coat, another turtle scales and yet another had ivory. Wordlessly, they took some of the books from the asthonished boys. The rest of the few customers simply stared.  
  
"Silara, Kim, Rajah," I called my own out. They did the same thing. The boys were left with two books apiece, which they put into the bags Su had given them. They hefted the bags onto their backs easily.  
  
"Well, we still have about an hour left, Sukina-chan," I arched my eyebrow at him calling her so respectfully, "what should we do?"  
  
"How does ice-cream sound to you guys?" I asked.   
  
"Yipee!" Gon said. I grinned.   
  
Part Two  
  
Please be warned that this chapter contains some profanities. If you're uncomfortable with them, leave. Thanks.   
  
As we made our way outside, we saw a pale man in black leather across the road. All of us gave him a cursory glance, but the boys glared at him. "Ikusho!" I told the boys to go. Not one of us liked the feeling of malicious qi emanating from him, but in this place, it was better not to pick a fight. None of us could really handle that amount of qi that was floating about the place. We went to this small sidewalk café that the owners assured us had jut been opened. The ice-cream served was deliciously creamy and tasty but a little thick for Kirua.   
  
"He's still watching us," Yokoshima said.   
  
"Should we 'warn' him?" Gon asked.   
  
"You're taking on Kirua's qualities more and more, Gon," I chided him. "Besides, he' a magic-user. You guys are not quite ready to take him on," I said.   
  
"Finish this up quickly. If he follows us, then we'll see," Sukina said.   
  
We quickly finished our ice-creams. It was only a quarter to twelve, and we still had 15 minutes left. As we got up, he came and stood in front of us. "Good day. I'm Lucius Malfoy, one of the governor at Hogwarts. I presume that you are part of the new group of students from Japan?" he said. His politeness only made us more wary.   
  
"You presumed correctly. How may I help you?" I asked, deliberating omitting our names. Names gave power to those who knew how to use it.   
  
"I just wanted you to know that we from the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic will be keeping a very close eye on you all. At the slightest hint of trouble, we'll send you home," he said, leaning close and using his staff to touch my hair. Suffice to say, I didn't like his attitude. Still, I didn't want to take the risk that he would send us home, so I just bore with it. He looked at my sister in a rather suggestive manner. "You know," he began, "Barbara Sapplefuss was not much younger than you when I first met her. Now there was an obedient child. Rather good in bed too, I must say," his tone was plainly offensive.   
  
"Watch what you say!" Kirua and Gon started.   
  
"Especially about Barbara and my sister!" I continued.  
  
"Well, she was amusing for a while, but too, how shall I put it... inexperienced? Maybe your sister would be better," he laughed.   
  
He wasn't laughing long. Yokoshima's fist shot out and caught his jaw. He fell back, a purple bruise forming. Sukina cried out. "That's enough!" she said, but I knew that she was pleased to know that we wanted to protect her. She was practically suffocating me through our telepathic bond. "Forgive my friends. They're rather protective of me," she said, kneeling down and Healing him. Malfoy gave her a strange look.  
  
"Well," he began grudgingly, "I'll take back what I said about you, but I stand by what I said about Sapplefuss. She's a slut and should not be teaching. She's not even worth thinking about," he said, getting up and working his jaw.   
  
"Say one more word about Barbara, and I'll kill you. In fact, I'll make it easier for you. You can use your wand, but I won't use any other weapon beside a Shikigami and my bare hands and feet," I said.  
  
"Do not mock me, child!" he said coldly.   
  
"'Nee-chan..." Sukina said softly.   
  
"Let's go. It's not even worth wasting my breath trying to talk to someone who's so small, he only has one child. At least the other families that have more than one are prosperous," I said.  
  
"Would you like to have a go at it then?" he began, but we'd already turned our backs on him and were walking away.   
  
"I'll take you up on that challenge, you little mudblooded prostitute!" he said.   
  
I hate to admit this, but I was glad he took up the challenge. I haven't been able to get much exercise and with Siku and Sika flying off, my yearning got bigger. Still, calling me a mudblooded prostitute was sure to get anyone's attention and be the prerequisite for the challenge on its' own. "Even if I were a prostitute, I'd turn you down, you low-life excuse for a magican!" I said contemptuously.   
  
Part Three  
  
We stood in the center of a large clearing. There was a ring of people around us, as I had suggested not to let Diagon Alley be destroyed because of our duel. Even though Lucius had sneered, he agreed. We stood perhaps ten paces from each other, but the others kept themselves as far away from us as they could without actually losing sight of the action. Duels like this, I could guess, were unthinkable. Well, maybe for them. This would also be a good chance to test out the theory that Wizards and Witches were Qi Channellers, that is, they need a wand to use their powers. I sincerely hoped they were right, or I might have to call upon the Goddess of Death, Celeste, to get me out of this mess. Celeste would be rather annoyed.   
  
As we stood there getting ready, a large tree came between the two of us. It was Hagrid, trying his hardest for us to stop. "Stop this!" he said. "Forgive her, Mister Malfoy, she didn't mean whatever she said, it's just the stress of her first time here in England ya know," he continued, before urging me to apologize. Before I could tell Hagrid that it had been Malfoy who'd insulted me, he spoke and that caused me to be even angrier.   
  
"Get out of the way, you big great oaf! If I'd have my way you'd left Hogwarts a long time ago. Son of a Giantess and a Wizard. You're a disgrace!" he said. Somehow, he knew how to punch my buttons.   
  
Get out of the way, Hagrid. I don't want him to hurt you, I said to him telepathically. This may have been against the rules, but I implanted a resigned notion in his mind as well. It would dissipate as soon as the duel was over and not before. He sighed and moved out of the way. Most of the people standing on my side had already moved back further, action or no. The grass around me had been flattened and there were eddies of wind about me, as though there was a mini-tornado and I was at its' eye.   
  
Dimly, I heard Su cautioning the others to stay away. I blocked out her sweet melodic voice that had the power to relax and calm me. For this, I really needed my rage. "Don't get involved in this. Oh, hie Kurama-san, Hiei-san. No, please don't interfere Peter, Clapika. When she's like this it's best to stay away. Botan, I'll need your healing skills. The average for my sister to throw someone in the hospital is usally about six months, although there was a guy who was in for about 48 months. That was when she was learning to control her powers," she told me later what she'd said.   
  
My reaction to her statement: That was 48 months minus the physiotherapy, or did you leave that out on purpose?  
  
"I'm giving you a last chance, Malfoy. Are you going to retract what you said about Sapplefuss?" I called out. Instead, he called out for someone to help us start this weird duel.   
  
"Excuse me," an extremely cultured voice said, "But are you talking about Barbara Sapplefuss, a druidess?" a man who seemed to be of Scandinavian descent. He had gorgeous blue eyes, light, blond yellow hair and was overall a hunk. He also stood easily apart at a little over six-and-a-half-feet.   
  
"Dangerfield..." Malfoy sneered.   
  
"Ah, Lucius. How nice to meet you again. Have you been throwing mud at people's honour again?" he asked pleasantly, but I heard Sukina, Gon, Kirua and Yokoshima gasp. It seemed that all of them recognized the deadly insult he'd just delivered.  
  
Wasn't Dangerfield the name of the guy who single-handedly help Natalie destroy that group that was threathening her sometime ago? my sister asked.   
  
At this point in time, Imouto, I don't care. If he pricks Malfoy, it's good enough for me, I telepathed back.   
  
"Malfoy insulted Barbara and refuses to retract his statement. Calling me a mudblood is one thing, but never insult my friends," I bared my teeth in a feral grin at Malfoy for good effect.   
  
"Indeed... Insulting one's own honour is one thing, but the honour of others unable to defend themselves..." Dangerfield's tone was pleasant but he looked angry. In fact, I recognized it, for at this point in time we were both having the same effects.   
  
"He's mine, Dangerfield. Maybe after I'm through with him you'll want to pick up the pieces and grind them. You could always give the paste to dogs, although I doubt they'd want it. They're more sensitive than we are you know," I said.  
  
Malfoy was livid. He spluttered, and I had the feeling that men like Malfoy didn't splutter very often. It gave me a great deal of satisfaction. I could feel strength and rage pouring from the bond my sister and I had. I did not hide anything from her, and she knew of the friendship I had with Barbara. She also knew how jealously I protected my friends' honours, sometimes at the expense of my own. In some weird way, many knew that, and it gave me even more honour in their eyes. Go figure.  
  
"You two need someone to help start this duel. I volunteer for the task. And," Dangerfield said to Malfoy, "You'd better pray she finishes you, or else you'll have me to deal with, and you know what I'm capable of," he said.   
  
"Ready, Be..." before Dangerfield could complete his words, Malfoy had pressed his attack. He pointed his wand at me and a bright blue bolt shot out. I easily dodged it, moving behind him.   
  
"This is for Barbara," I hit him at the base of his neck. He fell, but turned and shot another blaze of pure energy that would have killed me if I hadn't already moved away. The bolt flew through the air.   
  
"This is for my sister," I said, appearing in front of him and catching square in the jaw, the same spot, I noted clinically, where Yokoshima had earlier hit him.   
  
He winced, but got up to his feet. I could feel the pure sense of his qi, gathering darkness and forbidden powers about him. Before he said it, I knew he was going to use a Forbidden Spell. "Evada Kadavra!" he shouted, a thunderclap resounding.  
  
According to the spell, it was deadly and if it touched me, it would kill me. It didn't. My mind worked automatically, summoning a Shikigami to my side. I could feel the three wooden seals in my hands and unthinkingly, I threw them at the oncoming light. "Rikuho!" I shouted, calling the Shikigami who had once worked for an ancient family. It was one of the few who wanted to stay with me, even if I found his family.   
  
Only when the seals left my hands did I realize what I had done. I screamed and started forward to grab them, but the seals met the white light and there was a huge explosion. I stood firmly rooted to the ground, letting the searing heat burn me, but it was not the heat that burned your skin, but your soul.  
  
When the smoke I cleared, I raised my voice to the heavens in lament. Tears coursed down my cheeks. There was nothing, nothing! that would take the place of Rikuho. There was a huge emptiness within me, and all my Shikigamis, all of them, cried with me, even Siku, Sika, and all the others I had contacted in London.RIKUHO!!  
  
The pain, that was all there is. RIKUHO! Inadequate tears for the sorrow I felt, rage, for the man who had caused me to sacrifice a friend. Emotions fused together, I got up and looked through blinded eyes for him. He was not anywhere to be seen. fell on my knees. RIKUHO! My cries of frustration was so horrifying, that the few birds in the area that had dared to land again fled. I cried and cried. RIKUHO!!!!!!!! 


	14. Day 12

I have no idea what happened to me right after the duel, so the following narratives will be in third person, as narrated by my friends after I'd recovered. Thank you.   
  
"Thank you," Sukina said to Dangerfield. He'd transported Malfoy to the nearest hospital after he'd hit that tree on his way to unconsciousness.   
  
"Is she going to be fine?" he asked her.   
  
"I think you'd better be the one to approach her, Sukina-chan. She doesn't look too rational at the moment," Clapika said.   
  
"That's an understatement. Do you want me to accompany you? Maybe I could help by giving her a sedative," Kurama offered.   
  
Sukina was on the verge of declining when she saw Naoko/Karen still crying. "That would be appreciated," she said. She did not mention that she had never seen her sister like this before and that she had no idea how to cope.   
  
She approached Naoko carefully, humming softly. Whenever her sister woke up from a nightmare, which was rare, her humming and singing always had managed to calm her down. "Imouto?" Naoko asked as they came closer. She recognized the blond haired girl whose face was full of compassion, but not the other. He reminded her of a fox, but she knew that human foxes were far more deadly and seductive. Now, how did she know that?  
  
"I killed Rikuho," Naoko said, her voice terribly small.   
  
"He lives on," Sukina said. She knew more about Shikigamis with the exception of her sister and the other hereditary Shikigami Mistress and Masters. Sukina was not a Shikigami Trainee though.   
  
"There'll never be another one like him," her sister said, "But you must go on. He knew the price and the risks when he signed up with you," she continued.  
  
Naoko's eyes narrowed. "I did not sign them up, little sis. You know as well as I do that they have no choice in the matter," Naoko's tone was frosty.   
  
"Those that stayed even though you gave them freedom, they had no choice? You underestimate your potential with them," Sukina chided lightly.   
  
Naoko began to cry. Nodding to Kurama, the red-haired man moved quickly, a thorn hidden in his hand. Just before he pricked her with it though, she caught him and threw him off-balance. He flew a good three metres away. "I'm not dumb, kitsune," she called him a fox, "But I'm not that smart either. I'll go along..." Naoko whispered softly. She walked to Sukina, a defeated stance apparent. When she reached her sister though, she threw a light-hearted grin at Kurama over her shoulder. Kurama shook his head. This was no ordinary Ninjen. Who knew? There might be some fun here after all. His grin was wolfish rather than foxy. :)  
  
(Filler until I get an idea for the next chapter. Idle conversation)  
  
Kirua: I hope I don't ever meet you on the opposite side.  
  
Karen: I'm not that bad.  
  
Dangerfield: You nearly killed him!  
  
Yokoshima: Unfortunately, she didn't.  
  
Dangerfield: Are you all mad? If she did, we'd be in serious trouble!  
  
Hiei: Hn. She would not have killed him for besmirching Sukina's honour.   
  
*Everyone looks at Hiei, including Karen*  
  
Hiei: (continuing) I would.   
  
*Everyone sweatdrops.*  
  
Sukina: He's a nice boy, isn't he? *smiles pleasantly*  
  
*Everyone slowly backs away from Hiei*  
  
Clapika: Are they always like this? (to Botan about Hiei)  
  
Botan: Only other person he's so nice to besides Kurama is his.. phmphf! (Mouth is being closed with Sukina's hands, looks fearfully at Hiei.)  
  
Clapika: ????  
  
*Botan and Sukina grin at him.*  
  
Kurama: Phew! *sighs!*  
  
Gon: (To Kirua) Are you still hungry after that ice-cream?  
  
Shuura: You guys had ice-cream? What's that?  
  
Peter: There's a nice restaurant not far from here. I saw the food. The flowers are fresh too.  
  
Shuura: What's ice-cream?  
  
Karen: Fine, I'll pay for lunch. I'm hungry!  
  
Shuura: WHAT'S ICE-CREAM???!!!!!!  
  
*Sukina whispers something in his ear and he immediately shuts up, looking at her incredulously. There is something in Hiei's eyes that is unreadable*   
  
Hm......  
  
:p   
  
Part Two  
  
By the time we reached the café, I had recovered myself suffiecientlyto realize how hungry I was. Already the memory of Rikuho was growing stronger within me. I would mourn him, but not now. When I had the time. I noticed Kurama looking at me in an unreadable manner, but when I raised my eyebrows in a questioning manner, he turned away with the hint of a smile.   
  
The small café seated the thirteen of us easily, and none of us really believed that stuff about 13 being an unlucky number. One of the main reasons for that was of course, our different heritage. For all that I was sister to Sukina, a half-Japanese, I was about three-quarters Chinese. The Chinese believed that the number 13 was good luck, and that it signified progress. 13 was a special number in that way, I suppose.  
  
Ordering what to eat was not a problem. The portions were.   
  
"WHAT?" Shuura complained when he saw the portions of his meal. True, it was the best-tasting food any of us had ever eaten, but for most of us, it is quantity, not quality that matters, particularly if you were as ravenous as I was.   
  
"Is there any chance for larger portions?" my sister asked the waiteress.   
  
"Uh-uh. These are the largest. I'm sorry that we seemed to have disappointed you..." she began to say when Yokoshima interjected smoothly.   
  
"It's okay. Perhaps we could discuss suitable recompense later..." he looked her up and down suggestively.   
  
He immediately fell to the floor. While Botan and Sukina apologized for his rude remarks, the guys and I were busy pommelling him nonchantly. None of us doubted that he would recover though. "Well, the train-lady may have some more food on board," Hagrid said. The rest of us looked at him in a strange way. Without a word, we fell to eating while Dangerfield explained how he knew Sapplefuss. Upon closer examintion, I found that Dangerfield was certainly someone Barbara would like. He had long blond hair and to an extent, his whole manner appeared to be one of a rebel. The glasses he wore, as stylish as they were, dispelled that notion, although I had the feeling that he must be one very cultured man to have been able to court Barbara.  
  
"I knew Sapplefuss several years ago, and we were... seeing each other. I was her first love. I thought that we had something going on, but then Malfoy spied her and took her to be a thing of amusement," he said.   
  
"Couldn't you have saved her?" Gon asked, innocently naivë.  
  
"At that time I did not think too. I found them in bed... together and unclothed," his teeth were clenched.   
  
"Hold your tongues," my sister whispered fiercely in Japanese to the younger ones. For once, they did.   
  
"Oh," was about the only other thing the others and I could say. That would explain Malfoy's insults, and it was not surprising to find that Dangerfield still carried a torch for Barbara.   
  
The rest of lunch we ate in silence. As the time went to leave, we bid him farewell, and as we parted, he shook each of our hands warmly. "If any of you should find yourselves threathened by anyone and if Dumbledore cannot help you, look out for me. I'm a member of the Triliate Council. My full name is Daniel Dangerfield. Fare thee well!" he said   
  
Part Three  
  
"Blimey, a member of the Triliate Council!" Hagrid was saying as we walked into Ollivander's Wands. Kurama was the only one who thought to question him further, the rest of us curious about the shop. Surprisingly, even Hiei had acceded to try once. Only Kurama and me declined. Hagrid left us though, saying he had errands to run.   
  
"Now, I suppose I should tell you that the wands chose you and not the other way around," the man said.   
  
"Um... we were not planning to use individual wands for a long time, Mister Ollivander. We were wondering if you had just plain wooden wands we could use?" I asked him.   
  
He smiled. There was something in his smile that told me we had a little surprise. "Principal Dumbledore told me that you would be coming and that you would want practice wands. Here, there are several types of woods here; cypress, cedar, rosewood, pine... Perhaps you and the teachers would like to try ones of your own?" he said. He took out several boxes with wands of various sizes, labelled according to the corresponding woodtypes.   
  
Hiei moved away from us as the rest scrutinized the boxes. Suddenly, his hand shot out and he picked up a box. Inside the box was a wand about three-quarter the length of his arm. He moved with it, using it not like how he would use magic, but like a swordsman. None of us paid any attenion to it at first, but we gradually grew aware of a powerful force building up inside the small shop.   
  
"Ah, now there's a rare wand," Ollivander said, having spied the box where the wand once lay, "Made of baobab, a short tree, but one of the most hardy from Africa. It's very durable and dependable, even though it may be thorny on the outside."  
  
Every one of us tried very hard not to laugh. It was so apt of Hiei he blushed. My sister took pity on him and quickly drew attention away from him by picking up a wand from one of the boxes. It was about 9 and a half inches. "What about this one, Mister Ollivander?" she began, but sparks flew from the wand, and instantly, I knew what type of wood she had chosen.   
  
"Rosewood? Hmm... This would make a very fine wand, especially if you were musically inclined," which my sister was, "And I must admit, that I was not quite truthful with you. "These are no ordinary practice wands, but they are plain wands, rather. They do not need any enchantments but their own, and they are bonded to the wielder in such a way that no one else but the designated heir may use them. These wands show what you truly are," he said, pointing to the wand my sister now held.   
  
It had undergone a drastic transformation. At first it was just a plain rosewood, but now it was inlaid with gold silver and bronze. Sukina turned and looked at me, and I heard her thoughts. See how they intertwine ith each other? Gold for me, the colour of my hair. Silver for you, guardian of the fair. Bronze for Aniki, his fire surpassed only by his care. Aniki... Sukina's step-brother, and in that way, my elder brother as well. Both of us loved and protected Sukina in our own ways; with me being near and him being far and distant. Bronze... the fiery glow suited him well.   
  
As each of them picked up a wand, it changed to reflect their personalities and their strengths. Peter's was purple, the colour of vanquishing evil. It was a little odd, since strictly speaking, Peter was a son of evil, as vampires are. However, the training he received from Father Karasu gave him the power to mix both of them and to vanquish evil for the sake of good. Gon's was touched with dust that did not fall to the floor. The purple dust was amethyst, which formed the basis of most of the Scared Stones used by GhostSweepers in Japan. Mixed with the South African Diamonds, particularly the ones from the DeBeers Mines, it was very potent. On its' own, when grounded to a powder and mixed with the essence of a wood, it was one of the rarest types of wands found. In Gon's case, the wand was meant to complement his talent with animals.   
  
Kirua's had three drops of dragon blood, fierce and at times, ruthless. While examining it, Ollivander exclaimed. It was quite rare that dragon blood appeared on its own within a wand, even more rare to find three full drops. He also said that the blood was not of the Western Dragons, which were often fierce and ruthless, but rather, the blood of the Eastern Dragon, long thought to be benelovent and kind. We could help but look knowingly at him. He grinned at us. Clapika's on the other hand, had a red ruby inset. It was unbelievably red and bloody. Gon and Kirua remarked that it was the colour of his eyes, but as far as we could see, his eyes were as far from red as Alpha Centauri from Earth. We wondered why they said that, and I made a mental note to check out the literature on the Kuruta Tribe about it. All I knew was that the tribe had been massacred and Clapika was the lone survivor.   
  
Shuura's was a bit of a confusing wand to Ollivander. According to him, the wand, although it appeared menancingly enough, was actually rather innocent. It was supposed to have a feather from the wings of an angel. @_@! He asked Sukina in a loud voice (although he was a demon) what an angel was. Sukina took him aside to explain it, and I noticed, for the first time perhaps, how gentle my sister was with him, even though he was supposed to be 16 years old like her. The wood was oddly enough, cherryblossom, also known as the sakura tree. The sakura flowers were my sister's favourite.   
  
I shook my head at Yokoshima's transformation. According to the wand, it did not have a special attribute like the others, but Ollivander took out a tarot card instead. It was the card of the Fool, young, foolish and believing that he was invulnerable. He told us that there were rumours that some witches and wizards did not need to use wands, but they used Tarot cards instead. Most of them only used one though, and this reminded me of the X-Men Gambit, who used playing cards as mini explosives. Yokoshima, apparently, was one of them.   
  
I really liked Botan's wand. It had a soft touch of pink. Pink was said to encourage openness in ourselves and others. I thought that was exactly what Botan was. She was kind, openhearted and gentle. Ah... What a woman! :p We left the shop to head to the pet store after that. :p   
  
Part Four  
  
We made our way to the Owl Emporium. I'm not sure how many of us wanted an owl, but I did know that all of them were good with pets. Pets weren't really a neccessity, but it helped alleviate the boredom. I knew that Gon, Peter and maybe Shuura would want a pet for themselves.   
  
"Owls aren't really that fun, Naoko-san. Why don't we try another shop?" Gon asked me just before we entered. This was a team effort, as the only people who looked surprised by the request was Kurama, me and Hiei.   
  
"Well, why not? What pets do you want?" I asked.   
  
"That shop seems to be interesting," Kirua pointed.   
  
'It' referred to a shop that looked brand-new (we could still smell the paint and could see the chi made from the paint). There was a myriad of life in it, and as we went near it, we saw that it had plenty of life. There were cats, owls, dogs, snakes and the like. It was also large, contrary to its' small appearance, and it seemed designed to please us.   
  
I grinned. Trust them to find the most interesting place around. We went in, and the door tinkled musically. My sister stiffened, but I did not get the chance to ask why as the propeiter came to us.   
  
"Welcome! How may I help you kind fol? As you can see, I have many pets. Please, take a moment to see what I have," he said.   
  
Sukina? I called out to her, taking her hand in a protective way.  
  
This whole place has the feel of something gone horribly wrong! And I could swear that that man is the one following us! she replied.   
  
WHAT? I said.   
  
Gon was looking at a small wolf cub. The poor thing was yipping and yapping away excitedly. He turned and gave me a look my goddaughter would have laughed with glee. It was the look she used whenever she wanted something, and she knew I was completely vulnerable to it.   
  
"Can I have it? PLEASE?" he said.  
  
We bought it. 


	15. Day 13

We got into the train without incident. Hagrid had gone to the front, while the boys took out a small sack. The sack contained the owner of the pet shop, whom we'd abducted just a few minutes ago. The guys had had to hit him a few times to keep him quiet during the journey from Diagon Alley to the train station, but there was no major incidents. I didn't even had to ask Kirua to 'invite' the poor guy along. Peter, Yokoshima and Shuura were way ahead of me. With any luck, the little guy would be on his way back as soon as he answered our questions. Hopefully it would not take long. I didn't want the poor guy to have to walk to Hogwarts, although I doubted it was that far.   
  
Gon, Kirua and Yokoshima were sent out to find the Candy Lady. Only Botan and Peter had purchased pets. The two of them were both happily cooing in the next carriage over their new cat and owl respectively. I say 'cooing' because that was exactly what they were doing. Sukina had gone to the washroom, to change into the new sorceress' robe we had remembered to buy at the last minute. Hiei was, as usual, sitting top of the carriage. Kurama, Shuura and me were sitting in the carriage, Kurama patiently explaining something to Shuura who was reading the textbook on Japanese Demons. His look of confusion was clearly written on his face. The sack laid unmoving at our feet.   
  
I moved the sack so that the flap would open and I could see the guy inside. His head peeked out and his breathing seemed stable enough, so I left him like that and took out a small book. It was the small book of Death I always carried around. I looked in it to see whether I could identify the man in the sack. I couldn't. He did not appear in the book, which meant either he had been pressed into Celeste's (Goddess of Death, Daughter of Hades and Perspehone) service upon death, or that he was a serving member of one of the other Gods/Goddesses. That would be a nice pickle indeed, if I managed to offend one of them by picking up this guy.   
  
"So, how does this look, Nee-chan?" Sukina called out before she came in.  
  
The man's eyes snapped open at the sound of her voice and jumped up as the door opened. Sukina's look of surprise was clear. She just stood there and I cursed. I threw the book and managed to pull the guy before he could touch my sister. He fell to the floor and my sister backed away down the corridor before he could get up. Kurama and Shuura though, were sitting squarely on the man, who growled and snapped at them as though he was a dog.   
  
"What the hell happened?" everyone except my sister came rushing into the carriage. Hiei, of course, popped in from the top.   
  
"Thou will not succeed in thy quest, Princess of the Heart. We will seek thee and destroy thee!" he said. I did not realize that he spoke in an ancient language.   
  
"Return to thy master (Okay, I'm taking a cue from the Eddingses, FORGIVE ME!) , dog, and tell him that the day will come when the Element Princesses and the Hope Queen will strike him down. Perhaps if he starts running now, his Mistress might not catch him," I said.   
  
The cretin gasped. His breath was ragged and he did not seem to be able to live much longer. "The Dark Lord will have your soul!" he said, before he shimmered into nothingess and disappeared. Botan was immediately upon the spot where he had laid, touching her hand to it.   
  
"He's not truly dead yet, minna-san," she told us, "His soul is still in stasis. Someone's using him," she continued.   
  
"A member of the Undead?" Peter asked.   
  
"Exactly. What did he say to you, Naoko-san?" Gon asked me.  
  
I raised an eyebrow at him. As far as I knew, they had heard us talking in language as plain as English. Kurama shook his head. "You were talking in another language, Naoko-san. None of us understood it," he said politely, but it was clear from his words that he did not like it.   
  
"He said that he would pay us back for kidnapping him and that we would hear from the Council soon," I sighed. It was a blatant lie but the way I said it made it sound like the truth. They all nodded. Each of us had received threats like that before, enough to make us weary of them. Only Sukina understood the whole exchange. She would have; the moment the guy begant to speak I had linked my mind to hers. Her presence felt familiar, warm and loving.   
  
Part Two  
  
I went to where my sister was at the back of the train. She had changed from her Ceremony Robe to her normal attire. The blue jeans she wore brought out the colour of her eyes and the red checked shirt complemented her hair.  
  
"I didn't expect him to be truly alive," she said.   
  
"Neither did I. There was something about him that didn't ring true from the beginning. I don't like it, little sister. Too many people know who we are," I replied, leaning against the railing as she did.   
  
"The Dark Lord... I don't think he means Voldie, does he?" she asked, giggling. In the language we were using, it had the connotations of being the said person being a rather poor parody of the original.   
  
I laughed with her. For all that we were just teenagers, our burden was no less. The Element Princesses, including me, were all born before my sister. We were sworn to protect her, but it was not easy. How could it be, when we were born in different backgrounds and in different countries?   
  
Among all of us, only I was the one who was able to be with her constantly. In the old legends, it was said that the Hope Queen, also known as the Angel of Life, grew up with the Daugther of Death, her sister and protector. I don't know how true it was, but I knew how important it meant to Sukina that I maintain the role of the Daughter of Death. Contrary to people's expectations, my sister was not the weakest in our group. In fact, she could be said to be the strongest. However, her strength did not lie in the physical realm like most of us, but in the emotional and spiritual realm. She was the foundation of our lives.   
  
"The Dark Lord... I didn't think he knew we were alive," I said.   
  
"His people thought we were dead, but apparently he thought different. Danae says that she followed him to the Fiery Place and that he gave his report to his Master. It caused quite an uproar in their Council," she said.   
  
"Well, they know we're alive. They won't attack us without confirmation," she said.   
  
"That doesn't make me secure at all. What I'm worried is that some of them will take the bounty after all. Forty million dollars on our heads is not a minor thing," I said.   
  
"True. Well, let's cross that bridge when we come to it. No use thinking about it now," she said.   
  
"Yeah. We still have those textbooks and herbs to distribute," I said.   
  
"You hungry?" she asked me as I opened the door to enter the train.   
  
"Imouto, you know what such a mindlink does to our stomachs," I reminded her.   
  
"Wonder if the food here is filling or not?" she said as I slammed the door shut behind us. 


	16. Day 14

The train pulled into the station. We got out of it, taking only a few things. None of us carried our bags, Hagrid having assured us that it would be sent straight to the school. We were going to walk through the Forbidden Forest, at night (Yes, I know you think its' suicidal) and we would separate into two teams. Ecah team would leave the station from a different side, but because the trail eventually met up again, we would journey the last few metres together before leaving the forest. Because of our proximity, we would also be in close range in case any of us weer in trouble, which I seriously doubted. Then again, weirder things have happened.   
  
Kurama, Yokoshima, Botan, Peter and me were to be one team while the rest in the other. My sister had grinned when she pulled out the straw that put her in Hiei's group. I could have sworn that the man's eyes popped out of his head, but then again, it was probably my imagination. What was not my imagination was the gleeful smile on Kurama's and Shuura's faces. What was going on? @_@  
  
We set off, Botan wearing an outfit that fit the idea of a mysterious fortune-teller. All you could see were her eyes and a small gem at the collar of her cape. Kurama wore the same outfit he wore when he picked me up from the airport, while Yokoshima and Peter had retained their current outfits. As for me, I wore what my sister termed 'Mean-Gypsy.' It was not so much as they followed the gypsy style as the way I wore it, she had said. I didn't really care. All it would do was to tell people that I meant business, no matter how soft I may look.   
  
I saw Kurama eyeing me curiously as I took the sapling Gon offered me. I had asked him to cut a walking stick for me, doubling it up as a weapon. The cloak I wore was dark and would hid me quite well.   
  
"Are we ready?" I asked my group. They nodded, eager to be off.   
  
"See you soon!" I told my sister. She cheerfully returned the greeting, but I heard Hiei mutter in a soft tone to himself.   
  
Part Two  
  
We set off at a rather brisk pace. I took up the rear, with Yokoshima directly in front of me. From time to time I would rap his head sharply with the walking stick because he irritated me. There was nothing in the forest so far, but as we went along I took out the map I had managed to persuade Daniel to 'lend' to me. Kurama would stop the group once in a while to confer.   
  
AS we walked I muttered to myself. This map was next to useless. I might as well fly up on Kimoso, my Dragon Shikigami and get a better bearing. However, I had made a bet with my sister and flying would definately count as cheating. The fact that night air was clear, cool unbelievably light meant that it was a perfect night for flying. DAMN!  
  
We would reach the rendenzous point in a few minutes, but Peter suddenly stopped. "I thought I heard something," he said. *Note: Accounts may differ from Barb's POV and mine*  
  
"It's probably just the wind," Botan said, but the rest of us were alert anyway. It was also the perfect time for Yokoshima to behave like the fool he was.   
  
"I'm hungry! Should have had those ice-cream cakes... *ITAI!" he said as I rapped him sharply with my walking stick.   
  
"Urusai!" everyone was saying, which also meant, "SHUT THE HELL UP!"   
  
"I definately heard something," Kurama whispered to me as we gathered in a bunch.   
  
"Let's just move to the next clearing. At least there we have a fighting chance at getting a look at whatever that's stalking us," I concurred.   
  
We kept moving. Suddenly something jumped on us. Because it landed right on him, Yokoshima screamed and ran about like an idiot, which, IMHO, He was. THe rest of us immediately disappeared, as the being spoke in another language. Ne?  
  
The rest of us had immediately jumped back. Botan had done the only thing she could do, jump and hide in the bushes, while the rest of us prepared to attack.   
  
Interestingly enough, the thing just stood there and made no attempt to attack us. However, none of us liked the way it looked at us, and if there was anything any of us had learnt, it was shoot first and ask questions later. We ambushed the creature. Surprisingly it moved faster than we thought possible, and Kurama and I missed slicing each other in half. The creature, (a griffin according to Peter) was nowhere. Unspoken, we hid ourselves, treading silently in the forest.   
  
The other group came running towards us. We knew they had found something when someone went, "Who the $^#^&#@ put their basket here?!!"   
  
Part Three  
  
"Onee-chan!" Sukina shouted, worried for my safety.   
  
"I'm here imouto," I stepped out of the bushes where I had hidden myself with Botan. She ran to me and hugged me close. My sister had apparently had not gotten over the fear of losing me yet.  
  
"The creature's gone, sensei," Peter said suddenly. Here in Europe, he was the most sensitive to changes.   
  
Hiei, Kurama and me all looked at him in bewilderment. There were three senseis here. "It, or should I say she is no longer here. I can't feel the chi anymore," he explained.   
  
We can find her for you if you wish, Mistress. She seeks refuge not far from here and we would only need the scent of her from that basket, my Shikigamis said in an amazingly choral voice. It was very rare for that to happen, all of them in agreement. It was far easier for George Bush to back down on Iraq than for them to agree to something.   
  
"My Shikigamis can find her. Should we or do we let it pass and let Dumbledore handle it?" I asked.  
  
With the exception of Botan, the rest of them looked at me as though I was insane, even my sister. I sighed. There goes hope for an early night. "We hunt then," I said, stating a statement and not a fact.   
  
We spread out in a circle, each of us pairing off with Botan in the centre with the basket. According to her, the herbs in the basket were used mostly for to make energy drinks. "According to the textbook, I think they were called sourwine leaves and bittersweet berries," she said. Kurama concurred, although I think he doubted the names BOtan gave them. Nevertheless, he had other things on his mind.   
  
Sukina followed me silently as we left the clearing, following the trail prescribed by our Shikigamis. Only those trained to detect them could, but I was worried. The killing of the Shikigami Trainers family that was the original catalyst for bringing me back here was never far from my mind. I was not entirely truthful when I told Nat how they had been killed. A Soul Crystal would have to be nearby, but it would not have to be used. The basic function of a Soul Crystal (SC) was to put Souls and Spirits to sleep. A little chant and a lot of time would enable you to ask the SC to change a person's soul into a spirit. A long ceremony later and you would be able to change the spirit to a Shikigami. No Banshee would have been able to keep such a sleep for so long, and the Soul Crystal would not have been able to keep souls who had just left their bodies asleep.   
  
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Botan screamed.   
  
My sister and I loked at each other before we rushed back. We were quite afraid, as we had no idea what had happened. The scream had hardly happened a few miliseconds ago, but it felt like hours to us. We ran and heard the other converging on Botan's position.   
  
All of us reached her at nearly the same time. There was a man dressed all in balck standing in front of her, holding his wand threatheningly at her. "Who are you?" he asked. Botan was staring at us as though we were her salvation. That prompted Peter and Clapika to immediately spring into action. Clapika attacked him, forcing the man to face him while Peter whisked Botan away. As he prepared to attack, I shouted, "YAMATEH!" That means stop in Japanese.   
  
Everyone looked at me. My sister left my side to hurry over to Botan. She checked the girl for injuries. "Let's not start attacking people simply. What's going on?" I asked them. Everyone looked at me as though I was insane. I sighed.   
  
"May I ask who are you, Sir?" I said politely to the man standing in front of us.   
  
"Who are you?" he asked us instead, his manner haughty. "You're trespassing on Hogwarts," he continued.   
  
"We're the students and teachers from the Far East," I said. Most wizards and witches understood what that meant.   
  
"The ones from Japan?" he asked us, but his question was cut off by shouts from above us.  
  
It was an ambush.   
  
Part Four  
  
As was our usual Modus Operandi, we split up. My sister was with Botan. Both of them defended themselves well enough, with Botan providing the energy shields and my sister supplying the missiles. They, whatever they were (but most likely to be youkos), were dying like flies.   
  
None of us spared any attention to the man as we were too busy getting rid of the youkos. Notice that I said getting rid of them. They were numerous, but none of them were even close to our level of expertise, so the guys got some much-needed excercise. We were cutting them down like stalks of grain. I didn't get involved physically as my Shikigamis were already out. They were gleefully eating the youkais, but I could hear the Twin Maidens, daughters of my second-in-command Shikigami, Plenia, complaining to their mother that the youkais tasted horrible! I giggled.  
  
Suddenly there was a orange blur among us, biting and snarling at the youkais. I turned my head to take a good look, but suddenly the youkos broke through my defense shield and attacked me personally. "All return!" I shouted, jumping but holding my right hand out to them.   
  
In the moonlight the Shikigamis returned to my hand's shadow and disappeared. Instead, I strengthen the walking stick and used it in a spinning arc as I came back to the ground. Several of the youkais had a problem with their cranial capacity also immediately. The others started having second thoughts as I decimated their ranks fairly quickly.   
  
Three of them were smarter than their compatriots. Instead of trying to attack me they took hold of my staff. "Onee-chan, look out!" Sukina said. I cursed. I could feel the youkai behind me, but I couldn't touch him as my staff was being held securely by the three youkais and I didn't have the strength to throw them off.   
  
"Drop it Naoko!" I heard someone shout. I dropped the staff and found myself in warm arms going above the youkais.   
  
I didn't think, just reacted. "Diranes!" I said, holding my right arm over the red shoulder of my rescuer and burning my former attackers to a nice crisp. I think I won't eat BBQ food for a while.   
  
All about us the last remnants of the youkos were dying. We counted about 150 of them, most of them lying in pieces and their blood staining the ground.   
  
"Uh... Naoko-kun? You're a little heavy," Kurama said, his voice close to my ear.   
  
"Oopps!" I said, blushing. I picked up my staff which had remained untouched by the fire and planted it square in the ground.   
  
A cry of dismay arose from my sister. "'Nee-chan, you can't wear that tomorrow!" she said, referring to my blood-stained cloak. She held it up and mumbled something about bloodstains being hard to wash out. The guys sweat-dropped.   
  
"It is an honour to meet you," Peter intoned.   
  
A griffin was standing next to the man who now looked vaguely familiar. 


	17. Day 15

The man now seemed more familiar to me... Quite possibly due to the fact that his clothes were now in much less evidence than when we first met him. For some reason, him with less clothes seemed more familiar than him with more clothes. I don't know why, I tend to remember people better when they have more clothes on.   
  
"Thank you. My companion," he hesitated when the griffon shook its' head, "and I thank you for your help," the man said in response to Peter's greeting to the griffon.   
  
"I am Professor Severus Snape, the Potions Master of Hogwarts," he continued. It immediately kicked my sleepy brain into overtime.   
  
"AH!" I said loudly, even louder than Botan would. How could have I forgotten? Wait, I could have forgotten. I didn't want anything to do with this guy, even for the sake of Barb. It was... HORRIFYING!  
  
Severus Snape was much more charming when he was wearing clothes. I mean, the dark eyes, midnight hair and black (now-torn) robes did much to enchance his "Don't play with me" air, but him without clothes... Was without any attraction for me. I loved my dear boyfriend and he was more attractive than him, but I'm prejudiced. If Barb liked him though, who was I to gainsay her?  
  
The others were looking at me. My exclamation had shocked them. "You're the guy who... Never mind," I said, having the effect of making all of them fall headfirst to the floor. Shouts of "Naoko-chan!" and "Onee-chan!" were thunderous. I just smiled sweetly and said, "Nani? (What?)"  
  
"Shall we leave?" Kurama sighed.   
  
"In a moment. Do we burn these or what?" I asked, pointing at the demons.   
  
"We should, I suppose. I don't think Dumbledore-sama would like it if we left them here to rot," my sister replied.   
  
"They'll also mess up our chi readings," Peter concurred. Though they were dead, they were also a homing beacon for other demons. They attracted a lot of negative 'chi.' In Makai that would not be a problem, but it was one here.  
  
"Burning them would create a whole new prob," Clapika pointed out. "The smoke and all... and it wouldn't solve the problem of the beacon for the others," he said. That boy was more well-versed in arcane arts than I thought!  
  
"Purification?" my sister asked.   
  
Purification referred to a technique where an area was purified of all negative elements. The problem with this technique was that it did not differentiate between friend and foe. Demons or youkais were also termed evil, and in this case the technique would kill them. We didn't want that.   
  
"We can't use Purification here. It would just expand and destroy the whole Forest," I said.  
  
"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Professor Snape said.   
  
"Why not bury them?" Gon said.   
  
"Thanks for that great idea!" I said as several bells immediately went on in my head.   
  
"Move about five metres back. Whatever you do, don't come back here. I'll join you when I'm done," I said.   
  
"In that case we'll leave first," Snape said, climbing gracefully atop the griffin, as though he had done it a thousand times before.   
  
I could sense my sister trying to get into my mind but I firmly locked it against her. What I was about to do was something that my sister did not like me to do, even though it was well within my powers. She can be rather prejudiced at times.   
  
"We'll head to Hogwarts then. Can you follow our trail? Kurama asked.   
  
"I'll even wipe it out as I follow it. Will that be okay?" I said sarcastically. Hiei was still sitting in a tree.   
  
Part Two  
  
After everyone had left, I went over to where my staff was standing upright in the ground. I took off my cloak and began to chant. The chant was an old one, one that I had learnt from the Goddess of Death, Celeste. It would summon the Spirit that Guarded this forest. There should be one. There was such an abundance of life here that I would be surprised if there was no spirit here. Wait, let me make that, flabbergasted.   
  
"Daughter of Death, what are thoust doing here?" a rough, archaic voice said.   
  
"Forgive my intrusion, Great One. My comapnions and I were attacked here not too long ago. We would ask of thee to grant a boon," I said politely bowing down.  
  
"These bodies pollute my very ground. I will dispose of them in a manner befitting them. The school I will not harm for I love the people, but if there are any more of these foul creatures after tonight my wrath will be vistied upon them," the Spirit said.  
  
"Great One, among our company are those whom are of like kind, although not in mind. Would thoust deign to let them pass freely in thy forest?" I asked him, mindful of the risks that Kurama, Hiei, Peter, my sister and I were.  
  
"Thy sister and thou are those foreordained in the Prophecy. The others I will allow if they do not harm my wards," he said.  
  
"Gracious thanks Great One," I said. A whisper of a breeze presaged his passing.  
  
Part Three  
  
I waked quickly to catch up with the others. My sister did not like me to communicate with the Guardian Spirits as there was always the danger of one being pulled into their web. There was that little matter known as Forest Politics. I was seriously beginning to wonder how much alike was the East and the West. There did not seem to be any kind of 'organized' anarchy here. The trees looked as though they had been planted in orderly rows rather than growing by Nature's whim. It was quite different from what I had experienced in both Japan and my own hometown of Malaysia.   
  
I stepped up my pace, remembering to wipe out all traces of the 'chi' trail as I went along. I didn't feel as much at ease here as I pretended. There was too many things that did not follow what I had learnt throughout my years as serving in the East.   
  
I folded the cloak over my arm, remembering what my Imouto (little sister) had mentioned about the blood stains being hard to clean. It was a dark cloak, but youkai blood was notorious for being quite smelly as they rotted. The cloak was then slung across my shoulder, although I did think of just throwing it away. It had been a little cumbersome as I fought the youkais just now.   
  
I was wearing a long-sleeved white blouse and an ankle-length skirt that was slit up my left thigh. It allowed me to move much faster and easier than had I been wearing my usual jeans. Ankle-high boots completed the ensemble. Besides, Su had insisted that I wear them. The things one will endure to satisfy a loved one's desires. I caught up with them pretty quickly, and the boys stared at me as I moved up to take my place beside my sister.   
  
"Well?" my sister asked.  
  
"The Guardian Spirit will take care of the bodies. Nothing here is what it seems," I said in a low voice.   
  
"The politics?"  
  
"Iya. There aren't any. That's what strikes me as odd. There also doesn't seem to be what we would normally find in forests of this size and kind," I told her.   
  
"Culture?" my sister asked, but before I could answer her Hiei spoke.   
  
"Do you want to tell everyone where we are?" he said. I think that was the longest sentence he had said so far. 


End file.
